Force of Darkness, hear my cry
by Noble Paladin
Summary: Chap. 46: The end of the beginning is here! Yami, Yusuke, Joey, and Kagome face their deadliest opponents yet, but what is Hiei planning with a certain dark entity? The time's getting close for war!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, Big O, or Yu Yu Hakusho. Consider any references to be the property of their creator.

Ch. 1 : Original Cards

Several of these cards will be used in this fic. If you have any ideas, let me know in a review (Limit: 4 cards per person). (I got this idea from Wise Man Domingo's "Eternal Duelist Soul; I don't own it.)

ehvak Assault Soldier

Warrior/Ritual/Effect

Stars: 12

Atk.:4350 Def.4050

Atribute:Wind

This monster can only be Ritual summoned with the Ritual Magic card "Temple of the Demon Swamp" by sacrificing monsters whose total level stars equal 12 or more from the field or your hand. During the standby phase of your turn, you may flip a coin and target a monster. If heads, destroy that monster. If tails, remove that monster from play. If "Krana of the Temple" is equipped to "Lehvak Assault Soldier", you gain control of one of your opponents monsters for 5 turns (one monster at a time). During your battle phase, select three cards on your opponents side of the field. These cards are treated as Contiuous Magic cards, and as long as all 3 are in play, inflict 800 points direct damage on your opponent's life points for each one at your standby phase. In exchange for 2500 life points, you are allowed to summon three "Bohrok Tokens" in face-up attack mode (Dark/Machine/8 stars/Atk.2850/ Def. 2550) during your battle phase. If this card is sent to the graveyard as the result of a battle, you are allowed to place "Exodia the Forbidden One", "Left Leg of the Forbidden One", "Left Arm of the Forbidden One", "Right Leg of the Forbidden One", and "Right Arm of the Forbidden One" into your hand. If this card is sent from the Field to the graveyard as the result of Magic, Traps, or Monster Effects, inflict 100000 points of direct damage on your opponent's lifepoints. If this card is removed from play, select 5 monsters from your deck. The monsters combined Attack points and Defense points are subtracted from your opponent's life points. If your opponent switches control of this card, negate it and flip a coin. If heads, three monsters from your opponent's side of the field have their attacks quadrupled and are under your control for the rest of the duel. If tails, all monsters on your opponents side of the field are destroyed and "Lehvak Assault Soldier's" Attack is doubled for 10 turns. After summoning, treat "Temple of the Demon Swamp" as a Continuous Magic Card. If this Magic card is destroyed, "Lehvak Assault Soldier" is destroyed without activating any of its effects, and the person who summoned it must discard their entire deck to the Graveyard.

Rarity: Ultimate Rare

Don't own Bionicle

Tectonic Upheaval

Field Magic Card

All Fire/Earth monsters gain 800 Atk./Def. points. All other monsters are destroyed.

Kini-le Kokaro

Pyro/ Fire /Spirit

Flavor Text: A fire spirit spawned from Mauna Kea.

Stars: 9

Atk. 3420 Def. 2500

This monster cannot be special summoned. It is returned to your hand at the end of the turn it is Normal/Flip summoned. Once per turn, it can destroy one monster on the field before attacking.

Ultra Rare

Onset of the Big Crunch

Continuous Magic

If this card is face-up on the field 5 turns after Activation, destroy all cards on the field, flip a coin, and call it. If you call it right, you win the duel. If you call it wrong, you lose the duel.

Ultra Rare 

Blue-Eyes White Metal Dragon

Dragon/Light/Effect

Flavor Text: Metallized Blue-Eyes White Dragon

Stars:9

Atk. 3600 Def.3100

This monster can only be summoned by sacrificing "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" equipped with "Metalmorph."

Secret Rare (Good promo Card)

The Seat Perilous

Quickplay Magic

Designate one monster on the field and roll a six-sided die once. If the result is 1-3, destroy that monster. If the result is 4-5, remove that monster from play. If the result is 6, the monsters attack is doubled.

Ultra Rare

Armor of the Doomed

Equip Magic

Increase an equipped monster Atk. by 2000. During the standby phase of the 5th turn equipped, if the monster is not a Zombie-type, flip a coin. If heads, the monster is destroyed and removed from play. If tails, place that monster face-up at the bottom of your deck. 

Ultra Rare

The Fickle Magician

Trap Card

Pay half of your life points and select a Magic/Trap card on your side of the field. You may treat the card as a Quickplay or Continuous Magic/Trap, or if it increases/decreases a monster's Atk. power for any length of time, treat it as an Equip Magic card. All effects of the cards still occur.

Ultimate Rare

Temple of the Demon Swamp

Ritual Magic

This card is used to summon "Lehvak Assault Soldier". You must also sacrifice monsters whose total level stars equal 12 or more from the field/hand. 

Super Rare

Drakmordian Cataclysm

Magic

Destroy all cards on your opponents side of the field.

Secret Rare

Note to readers: For fans of Big O and Yu Yu Hakusho, any suggestions as to the types of cards the following characters would have if they were duelists would be greatly appreciated. The Characters are:

Hiei

Kuwabara

Youkai Kurama

Yuske Urameshi

Roger Smith

Beck

Schwarzvald

The true plot will begin next chapter, so keep checking. 


	2. The Rise of Darkness

Disclaimer: See the intro. Chapter

Takes place 3 years after Dark Tournament in YYH. YGO will come into play later, and Big O will enter during the upcoming tournament.

Oh, here are the original cards Helldragon sent me:

Magic Devourer

Spellcaster/Effect

Dark

Level 1

Atk:0 Def.:0

Flavor Text: Metabolizes magical energy like the process of digestion

Effect: When this monster is Normal/Special Summoned, discard any amount of Magic cards from your hand. This monster gains 10 Atk./Def. points for each card you discard this way. During your standby phase, you must discard a card from your hand. If not, Magic Devourer is destroyed.

Dark Reaper of the Grave

Fiend/Effect

Level 8

Atk.2370/ Def. 2930

Flavor text: The true form of The Reaper of the Cards, emerged from the depths of the graveyard.

Effect: This card can only be Special Summoned from your hand by offering "Reaper of the Cards" equipped with "Call of the Haunted" as a Tribute during your Main Phase. You may pay 500 Life Points to negate a Trap card as long as this card remains face-up on the field.

Lycanthropic Dragon  
Type: Dragon/Effect  
Level: 4  
ATK: 1600  
DEF: 1200  
Flavor Text: One strike of this creature's claws infects a monster with its horrible curse.  
Effect: Whenever this card destroys a monster, Special Summon that monster on your side of the field during your End Phase. That monster is a Dragon in addition to its other types.  


Name: Frenzied Rage  
Type: Continuous Magic  
Effect: Every monster on your side of the field may attack twice during their Battle Phase. Pay 500 Life Points during your Standby Phase.  
  
Name: Mace of Disruption  
Type: Equip Magic  
Effect: Increase the ATK of the monster equipped with this card by 500 points. Any Zombie-type monster attacked by the monster equipped with this card is destroyed. Damage calculations still apply.  
  
Name: Counterspell  
Type: Counter Trap  
Effect: Pay 10 Life Points to negate a Magic or Trap card and destroy it. If this card exists in your Graveyard, you may negate and destroy a Magic or Trap card by paying 20 Life Points and removing Counterspell from the game.

Thanks for the review, Helldragon! I'll make sure that these cards get in the fic!

Makai Prison; Maximum Security Wing; Spirit World

Chapter 1: Rise of Darkness

" WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT DIDN'T GO THROUGH?!?"

"Listen, Hiei. I tried to convince the jury as far as I could. How was I supposed to know Botan would let that deal with the Tomb keeper's slip?"

"I DON'T WANT YOUR GOD DAMN EXCUSES, KOENMA! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!"

This screaming fit echoed through the stone-lined walls of the Makai fortress prison. More specifically, it came from the High Security Sector. This enormous portion of the vast penitentiary was reserved for criminals with immense Shadow powers which could not be contained with normal prison cells. These cells, originally designed to hold creatures such as the Saint Beasts or Demons like Toguro the younger, were now used to contain lowly criminals that were not even worthy of the attention of a spider, let alone the mighty emperor Koenma. 

This, however, was no ordinary criminal.

Across the hall from the main warden's center, a massive iron door, inscribed with Druid symbols containing an ancient black magic that only an individual with vast shadow power could unleash, sealed the prison of one of the most powerful demons in existence.

It was this criminal mastermind that Koenma was staring at from across a large steel table. Fortunately, the fiendish convict, known only as Hiei, was strapped to a chair with what was known in the Spirit and Shadow Realm as a Spellbinding Circle; otherwise, there was no doubt that he would have torn out Koenma's throat after he heard the terrible news. 

Immediately after the Dark Tournament, Hiei had made the fairly large mistake of murdering Alex Rosewater. Of course, with the combination of facts that Hiei was not even thought to exist in the Mortal Realm and that Rosewater was considered to be the most powerful businessman in the nation, this event had the effect of drawing too much attention to the Spirit World. 

This was an unacceptable circumstance.

After Koenma had taken over the throne during the aftermath of the Dark Tournament, his first act of business was to clear up the shockwaves and/or media fallout that could pin this event to his realm; in other words, assassinate any and all military police personnel who had even a fleeting suspicion that an outsider from another dimension. The next ordeal was to determine who had committed the atrocity. For this, the toddler-like potentate needed stealth and discretion; the Paradigm Military Police were not keen on letting evidence from a crime. This was where Yuseke Urameshi, the Imperial System's most trustworthy detective, came into play. 

Thanks in part to Genkai's training, Urameshi had gained a very rare ability: astral projection, the talent of transferring a portion of your spirit into a ghost-like entity that could pass through walls and obtain secret information without being noticed. 

Needless to say, it was the ultimate spy tool. 

The information took a little while to take hold of; the police station was destroyed by a megadeuce, whatever that was. Yet when the information had been uncovered from the wreckage of the station, both Koenma and Yuseke knew the description all too well: a short humanoid in his early twenties, or so it looked, with a towering stack of flame-like black hair with a stark white starburst.

Hiei was arrested the next day. 

Although the true criminal behind the hideous butchering of Rosewater had been captured, Koenma had a very large problem to deal with: since Hiei had worked for Koenma for a while after the defeat of the Saint Beasts, so the conviction of the demon would only lead to disastrous feedback towards the Imperialism. In a desperate attempt to hide his name in the trial, he paid off various witnesses and jury members to give Hiei a lighter sentence, or even nullify the indictment altogether. Koenma was so frantic to escape the long arm of his own government that he hired a sect of deranged mercenaries known as the Tomb Keepers to annihilate any prosecution witnesses. 

It was this effort that lead to the plans destruction. 

Several days before the trial began, Botan, who had long since been demoted from a deity of death to Koenma's personal secretary, had been assigned the job of looking over several files involving Spirit world convicts during the past month. Unfortunately, Koenma had left his bribes and blackmail files within there without knowing it. The rest of the story is self-explanatory. 

Hiei had not only been sentenced to death by inflagration, but Koenma was now facing charges of treason and illegal bribes. The reason that Hiei was so infuriated was that the appeal that the Emperor had set up had been turned down by the counsel of judges; the execution would proceed as scheduled. 

Koenma's expression was now one of shock and fury. Considering the fact that he had put his neck on the line for this ingrate who constantly defiled his administration and authority, he thought that the demon would be thanking him, not swearing at him like the scumbag he was. At this point, he finally snapped.

"SHUT UP, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I PUT MY ASS ON THE LINE TO SAVE YOUR WORTHLESS SKIN, AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?!? I SHOULD KILL YOU FOR THIS! I COULD HAVE LET THE COUNSEL IMPRISON YOU FOR LIFE AFTER YOU STOLE THOSE SHADOW ITEMS, BUT NO, I JUST HAD TO SAVE YOU FROM DEATH FOR YOUR OWN MORONIC ACTIONS! I SHOULD KILL YOU FOR THIS, DEMON! I SHOULD..."

Koenma did not get to say anything else, for the Emperor had struck a nerve. At this point, Hiei burst free of the magic of the circle and tore off the headband he had worn every day for the past year. In absolute silence, he revealed his Jagen eye, or at least, where it should have been. For the Jagen eye, powerful as it was, had been replaced with something worse. Something that even Koenma's magical pacifier could not defeat. 

At the center of the demons head was a golden eye that very slightly resembled the Eye of Horus on the Millennium Puzzle. In fact, these two were very closely related. For reasons unknown, Hiei had replaced his Jagen eye with the even greater device known as the Millennium Eye. How he had gotten it was unknown to Koenma, nor did the latter have time to puzzle it out, for at this point, the ancient Egyptian totem of power had begun to glow a bright golden color, outlined in black of the deepest night, set there by the Jagen Eye of a time before. To Hiei, all the hatred he had ever felt towards Koenma was being exacted in a beam of power he had never known to have controlled. To Koenma, it felt like his very soul was being torn out of him, which was more or less true. As the Millennium Eye dragged out Koenma's soul, his pacifier slowly began to crumble into dust, while at the same time, Hiei's two remaining eyes flashed a black similar to that surrounding the Eye in the center of his forehead.

The Millennium Eye was draining Koenma's life force, as well as his power. 

After a few minutes, Hiei stopped the Eye's power and ceased draining the Emperor's shell of a body. "No one raises his voice to me and lives, Koenma. Now you shall spend the rest of your pathetic existence locked away in the torturous corners of the labyrinth that is my mind.

"Ever since the day you and I first met, you have made my life a living hell. First you force me to side with that pathetic Urameshi. Then you have my sister executed to draw me out. Now you attempt to seal me in your pile of rubble that you call a prison.

"Well, now that I control your ancient power that is masqueraded in the form of an infant's pacifier, your walls can no longer hold me. Yet before I dissolve your body and this fortress in an infinite void , I think you have something that belongs to me." 

With that, Hiei began searching Koenma's person, until he found what he was looking for: a duel disk, a deck of duel monsters cards, and what looked like an invitation.

"Now that I have my deck and dueling disk back, and your invitation, I shall settle something I should have settled a long time ago, and before the blood-red moon rises, I shall control the universe and these pathetic mortals shall bow to me as God! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

And Hiei laughed and laughed as the entire fortress and everything and everyone within it (save Hiei) was consumed in an infinite abyss.

Well, what do you think? Cool, ne? Ah well. Let me know what you think in a REVIEW! Don't flame, yet constructively criticize. 


	3. The Rise of Malevolence

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

__

Talking = thoughts/Chant

*Talking* = Yami-Host

Chap. 2: The Coming of Malevolence

"And I'll attack you with the Dark Magician, and that's game!"

"God damn it! Why can't I win?"

Once again, Yugi Mouto had just clobbered Joey Wheeler and a more recent friend, one Yuseke Urameshi, in two duels apiece.

"I have to admit you're both doing a lot better than usual. Those Spirit monsters nearly destroyed me, Yuseke!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks for letting me have 'em."

"No trouble at all. Hey Joey, any news on Serenity and Mai?" Serenity, Joey's little sister, had fractured her left arm and leg in a driving accident. Mai Valentine, a duelist they had befriended in Duelist Kingdom, was much worse off: almost a week after recovering from having her mind trapped in the Shadow Realm by Yami Marik during Battle City, she had gotten a severe concussion and five broken ribs, having been mugged by a gang of lowlifes while vacationing in New York 

"They're doing great, Yug. Serenity's got the feeling back in her hand; the doc says she'll be back on her feet before da week's out. And I just talked to Mai's doctor; she just got outta the coma she was in for the past month!"

__

Thank God for that! Before long, life will be back to normal...or at least, as normal as it usually is around here! 

Yugi had no idea that life in general was about to take a very nasty turn...

Domino City was an interesting place, containing huge businesses, a powerful seaport, enormous tenements...and a small card shop in the downtown neighborhood. It was in this game shop that Yugi Mouto, world champion duelist, lived with his grandfather, former archaeologist Solomon Mouto. They had lived in Domino ever since Yugi's parents had met a mysterious end while on a business trip to Vladivostok; the only evidence of foul play had been what appeared to be a vast, elaborate hexagram carved into each of their backs. Although a serious wound, it would not have been enough to kill them, and there were no other signs of a murder weapon, nor were there any apparent suspects. At any rate, Yugi's grandpa took custody of his grandchild, retired from his hectic life as a historical investigator, and started a life as a card shop owner. 

It was this miniscule building that was the entire focus of one man's attention; that is, if you could call him a man.

Hiei had known for some time that the power to control the universe was sealed in an ancient tomb, sealed deep within the walls of the legendary Valley of the Kings. Unfortunately, the only way to unlock this power was to obtain the Millennium Items, seven edifices of an ancient sorcery used only by the Pharaoh of Egypt. There were only two ways to obtain one of these items: you were either destined to wield one, or you won it in a Shadow Game.

It was by this method that Hiei had obtained the Millennium Ankh, Scales, Ring, and Eye.

Since his Jagen Eye, which he had obtained long before he knew of the Millennium Items, was of the same enchantment as the Items, it had enabled Hiei to battle for the Items he desired. Once he obtained the Millennium Ring and Eye, it had been relatively easy to gain control of the Scales and Ankh from Shadi.

Yet even four of the Items were not enough to release or even control the magic in the Valley of the Kings.

_If I am going to be able to control the Shadow energy sealed in that overgrown graveyard, I'll need the power of the Pharaoh himself in order to proceed with my plan. This tournament that I heard Seebach talking about will be more than enough to draw the Millennium Rod out into the open, but I have a feeling that the Puzzle and Tauk will be much easier._

That fool Yugi couldn't possibly be destined to wield the power of both the Puzzle and the Tauk. It is obvious that somewhere along the line that destiny made an enormous blunder. But since he does possess the Items, by some mad twist of the universe, I will have to defeat him in a Shadow Game. And since both Yusuke and that cur Wheeler have an unusual attachment to Mouto, I will have to...hinder them. 

Hiei knew quite well that if Yugi was not supported by his motley band of cronies, things would be a hell of a lot easier, and since Mouto possessed the Saint Dragon, the incarnation of Osiris, or as they called it, "Slifer the Sky Dragon", he would need all the help he could get if he was to defeat the King of Games. 

_Well, Mouto, you may know the power of two Millennium Items, but you cannot comprehend the strength of an Item empowered with the energies of the Spirit World!_

And with that, Hiei began the chant that would start the Shadow Game:

"_Force of Darkness, hear my cry, release thy power to mortal lands. Set free the strength of Dark to fly, and envelop the world in your bitter hands. I call your power to this world, a place where I remove thy helm, and so I summon you unfurled, and call upon **THE SHADOW REALM!"** _

Yugi was just about to close the shop when his Yami opened the mind link.

*Yugi?*

*What is it, Yami? I'm about to close up.*

*Something's not right. I sense an evil the likes of which we have never faced before.*

Yugi sighed, almost as if he was bored out of his mind. *I wouldn't worry too much about it, Yami. After the evils we faced before, this one shouldn't be too hard to deal with.*

The ex-Pharaoh, who now lived within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, was not so comforted.

*I'm serious, Yugi; whatever is causing this evil is not only in possession of a Millennium Item, but also knows a power we have never seen before.*

*Alright, Yami, I'll keep an eye on...WHAT WAS THAT?!?*

The entire house had gone pitch-black, and only after finding a flashlight did Yugi resume his mind link conversation.

*Yami, something's not right; I just sensed whatever being you detected! He's downstairs, I can feel it!!*

*Yugi, whatever it is, it just sent the entire house to the Shadow Realm! I need to take over!*

*Alright, Yami! I just hope you can handle it!*

The multicolor hair youth splayed his hands outward as his puzzle began to glow with an incomprehensible light as he allowed his darker half to take over

"_YUGIOH!"_

In a fraction of a second, the innocent Yugi was replaced by a tall, dark being: King Yami, former ruler of Egypt, and the entity of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. 

Hiei stood in the center of the shop area. _Everything is going according to plan. These new cards from his grandpa's stockpile will make my victory all the sweeter. Ah, here comes the Pharaoh now._

_My Puzzle senses that the dark forces that activated this magic are in the shop itself. If he is here for a shadow game, he probably looted the card shop's storage room. _

The spirit of the Puzzle stepped into the card shop area. All the lights had been blown out, so if he was to find his opposition, he would need to use his own powers. 

At this point, a glowing Eye of Horus had appeared upon Yami's forehead. Using this glowing indication of shadow power, Yami bathed the entire store front in a flare of luminosity equal to that of the noon sun. 

Upon looking at the terrifying scene, he immediately wished he had left the room in the blackness of the Shadow Realm.

The entire store was in a state of chaos. Shelves were strewn in every direction imaginable, whole boxes of cards had been torn open, and there was the faint taste of blood in the air. 

"Yusuke? Joey? Where are you? What happened?"

"ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN THAT, PHARAOH!!!"

Yami turned in the general direction of the voice that had sounded, and in the process found what had happened to his two friends.

Yusuke and Joey were locked in stockades and chained to one of the walls. From the looks of it, they were comatose, their eyes completely glazed over...and were bleeding. More specifically, they were bleeding from the Druid runes that translated into "The Accursed" that were carved into their foreheads. 

"Don't worry, your highness. They are perfectly safe...physically, that is. You, on the other hand, will be soon just another soul damned to an eternity in the Shadow Realm. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

The cackling laugh echoed throughout the store, a laugh of such evil and wickedness that it sent shivers down Yami's spine. 

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

"Very well, King Yami. Normally, I do not allow people to look upon my face. But let me assure you, I'll be the last living thing you ever see." 

A figure was appearing out of the shadows. His was a short stature, a bit shorter than Yugi in his non-Yami form. He was dressed in a dark blue shirt with black pants and a dark red ceremonial cloak, with a white headband upon his forehead that seemed to clash with the dark hair reminiscent of a flaming pillar, with the exception of a snow-white starburst near the bottom of the pillar. 

Yet these clothes, frightening as they were, had nothing on his face.

One portion of his face seemed relatively normal, with the exclusion of a long, white scar near his left eye. The other side, however, was much different. 

An enormous tattoo spanned the entire right side of his face. It depicted huge expanses of wasteland, drenched in blood. As it proceed upward, the scenery was increasingly engulfed in black flame, and hideous demons tortured many a poor wretch. At the very top, atop a black throne wreathed in gold, was this demon, wielding a jagged sword and a cat-o'-nine tails. 

Yet it was his eyes that bothered Yami the most. Yugi and Yami both had warm, accommodating violet eyes, although Yami's were more often cold, calculating, and ruthless. This person's eyes, however, were black and lifeless, like looking into black holes that absorbed and destroyed anything at all that were unfortunate enough to be trapped into their vortex. Yet they did reflect several things: the eyes were cruel and sadistic, as if this person had an obsession for making people suffer. 

Clearly, this was not someone to cross. 

"Oh, dear, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hiei, ruler of demons and soon to be ruler of existence!"

"What do you want here, Hiei, and what have you done to my friends?" 

"Oh, it's quite simple, really, Yami. I will release your friends and return them and this dump of a house to the Mortal Realm, if you can beat me in a duel with Kaiba Corp's duel disk. But if you lose this shadow game, your friends die, and I shall gain your Millennium Puzzle!"

"In that case, I have just one thing to say to you, Hiei."

"How ironic, I was about to say the same thing."

Both placed their decks into the duel disks and activated them, then exclaimed simultaneously:

"LET'S DUEL!"

Like the new format? If so, let me know! 


	4. Hiei vs Yami

Disclaimer: I own nothing! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Original Cards for Kumoko Himura (An excellent idea, by the way!)

Magician Dragon

Dragon/Spellcaster/Light/Fusion(Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon/Dark Magician)Effect

Each time a Spellcaster or Dragon type monster summoned, it is automatically destroyed. The monster's Atk. is added to that of this monster.

Atk. 4500 Def. 2500

Sorry if I change the text on any cards; it was for clarity purposes.

And a card of my own:

Sword of Gerunia

Equip Magic

This card can only be equipped to "Slate Warrior". The monster equipped with this card increases it's Atk. by 300 each turn. 

Oh, Helldragon, I might alter the numbers on Magic Devourer to make it more powerful.

^blah^ = thoughts 

Chap. 3: Hiei and Yami: The first duel

"I'll make the first move, Hiei!"

Yami drew one card. "I summon Breaker the Magic Warrior in Attack Mode! (1600/1200) And thanks to his special ability, I am allowed to play one Magic Counter on Breaker to increase his Attack by 300!" The armored magic soldier grew in Attack strength to 1900. "And that's not all. I will increase his Attack with the Mace of Disruption, to boost his Attack power by 500 points!" (2400) Breaker's sword was replaced by a glowing club with an enormous spike at the top. "Your move, demon."

Hiei chuckled ever so slightly as he looked at his hand. ^_That fool. He thinks that his next move will save his hide, but not if I counter it first!^ _"I will place 4 cards face down, and a monster in Defense." Hiei's cards appeared on the field. 

Yami drew one card. "I will play 2 of my cards face down, and summon Luster Dragon in Attack Mode." The sapphire dragon gave a tremendous roar, given the fact that it was the most powerful monster in it's level class. (1900/1600) "Luster Dragon, attack his defense monster with Crystalline Force!" The Dragon immersed itself in a crystal orb, and began to slam itself down on the defense monster, when Hiei activated his face down card. "Go, Negate Attack! It blocks any and all attacks during the turn this card is activated, Yami! Your dragon's effort was all for naught; I anticipated your move, and prepared a counterstrategy!" 

Yami began laughing. Apparently, Hiei's move did not bother him one bit. "Nice try, Hiei, but you obviously forgot my monster's special ability, or have you forgotten my Breaker? It allows me to remove the magic counter that I used to empower him, and use it to negate and destroy any magic or trap card played! Your Negate Attack is itself negated!"

"I knew you were a simpleton, Yami, but I had no idea how stupid you really were! Activate Fake Trap!" An imp-like being bearing a scroll upon which the word "FALSE" was emblazoned appeared. It leaped in front of the Magic created when the Magic counter was discarded, stopping it instantly.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!?"

Yami's shock that his counter discard plan failed was indescribable. 

"Language, Pharaoh; you don't want to corrupt the pathetic excuse for an Aibou you inhabit, do you? At any rate, Fake Trap is something of a whipping boy; whenever a Magic, Trap, or Monster Effect targets a Trap Card, the Fake Trap takes the hit for it. And the best part is, you set the stage for my next move. End your turn, Yami; there is nothing you can do."  
" I will place 2 cards face down, and end the turn." 

^_Hiei had the perfect strategy set up...how is that possible? It's almost like he...anticipated...every...move...! Oh dear God, could he possibly have...?^_

^Perfect. The old fart is catching on. Soon I'll be able to remove this damn headband; I figure it would itch after wearing it for a year and a half.^

^I hope you're enjoying this, Seebach. If your minion's deck fails me, heads will roll...^ 

"I will flip my defense monster into face up attack mode. Say hello to the Slate Warrior!" A tall, imposing blue demon covered from head to toe in brass armor appeared. "The flip effect of Slate Warrior states that he gains 500 attack points each time he is flipped face up!" (2400/400) "I will then equip him with the Axe of Despair to increase his attack power by 1000, and his own personal weapon, the Sword of Gerunia, which will increase his attack power by 300 each turn!" (3700/400) "Slate Warrior, annihilate his Luster Dragon with Claw of Destruction!"

"Not so fast, Hiei! Activate Trap Card, Mirror Force! It deflects the power of the Slate Warrior and uses it against him! This duel is over!" 

"This duel, over? Not by a long shot, Yami! Go, Royal Command! This card is an extremely rare Trap that negate all other Traps as long as it is on the field! Say goodbye to your Mirror Force, your tawdry dragon, and a huge chunk of your life points!" The magic of the Mirror Force was destroyed, and the Slate Warrior decimated the Luster Dragon; with one mighty slash, the dragon fell , splattering blood over the field.. "And my Slate Warrior is the least of your problems, Pharaoh. Before the end of the day, the might of the Kings of Egypt will be mine! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" 

As Yami's life points dropped to 2200, panic began to overwhelm him. _How can I stop this guy? I knew he was a powerful duelist; that much I got from Yusuke's tales about him. But I didn't expect him to be able to read minds!_

As long as he can read my thoughts, there is no way I will be able to beat him! I have to find a way to negate his brain searching, and I think I have just the way...

TO BE CONTINUED

Not bad, huh? I will keep updating this fic until the day it is done. Also, be on the lookout for a new fiction, "Guns and Roses"! Keep up reviewing, and happy Halloween!


	5. A revelation and a tournament

Disclaimer: Nothing owned, nothing sued.

This is a new custom card from my archives:

Blade of Lost Souls

Equip Magic Card

The Monster equipped with this card gains 200 Attack and Defense points. Also, if the monster equipped with this card destroys a monster in battle, half of that monster's Attack points are added to the Attack of this monster.

One more thing. SoulofSaturn, I got your review after I started this chapter, so the dialogue will be longer.

On to the fic!

Chap. 5: A revelation and a tournament

Yami began his move by drawing one card. *Yugi? Listen to me!*

*What is it, Yami?*

*I think Hiei has the Millennium Eye; he has been reading all of my thoughts from the very beginning! We need to draw Slifer the Sky Dragon, now!*

*We can't risk that, Yami. Slifer was powerful as a hologram; imagine how powerful he is here! I have a better idea: we can beat him like we did Pegasus!*

*I hope you're right, Yugi; if we lose this duel, we lose everything!*

Yami came back to the duel, and was horrified to see Hiei laughing.

"You imbecile! Did you really think that the stunt you pulled on that hack Pegasus will work on me? If you thought that you could pull wool over my eyes, you are sadly mistaken! I have a power that can cloud and overwhelm any mystic device...as long as I can channel that power through another item!" 

As he did before murdering Koenma, the A class demon tore off his headband to unveil the blood encrusted Millennium Eye.

"Yes, your majesty, I do have the Millennium Eye, and I installed it in the place where my Jagen Eye once was! Are you surprised, Yami?"

Yami began to chuckle as he placed 2 cards face down, and switched his Breaker into defense mode. 

"Not really, Hiei. In fact, I'm kind of glad you did so."

The demon took on a look of horror, as his blood slowly drained from his face. At this point, he snapped.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, PHARAOH? LOOK AT THE COUNT! YOU ARE BEHIND BY 1800 LIFE POINTS, WITH NO WAY TO ACTIVATE ANY TRAPS AT ALL! THE MILLENNIUM ITEMS ARE DEVICES OF SHEER POWER; THEIR MIGHT CANNOT BE EQUALED! YOU MUST BE MAD TO THINK THAT YOU CAN DEFEAT ME! WATCH, YOU FOOL, AS I SCAN YOUR MIND TO DISCOVER YOUR TRUE PLAN!"

The demon began to search through Yami's mind, yet could not break down the barrier.

Instead of the King of Games' cards, Hiei had uncovered the labyrinth of his mind.

He shouted in a combination of rage and joy.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU IDIOT! DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOUR PUNY DEFENSES COULD DEFEAT MY POWERS? HA! NO ONE CAN DEFEAT ME, NOT EVEN THE SELF-PROCLAIMED KING OF GAMES! 

"YOU SHALL SUFFER LONG AND HARD FOR ALL YOU HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DO! I WILL NOT KILL YOU, YAMI, BUT BEFORE I AM FINISHED, YOU WILL WISH I HAD SLAIN YOU!"

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!!"

The voice came from a human girl, about 9 years old with bright blue eyes, chin-length brown hair, and a bright pink party dress (A/N: Guess who?).

"Go away, little girl. I have more important matters at hand than dealing with snot-nosed brats like yourself."

"Oh really? I'll have you know that I'm nine and quite dangerous."

"Keep believing that, punk. Now tell me, where is the Pharaoh's mind?"

"I'm not telling. You're mean."

"I'm quite serious, child. Tell me where it is before I get angry."

The little girl said nothing. 

"Tell me, now, before I throttle you."

The child did react this time: she stuck her tongue out at him and said something that sounded like "stupid bastard". She was no longer a child, but a lovely young woman in her teen years.

Hiei did not notice this; his only thought was immersed in anger.

Now under normal circumstances, he was a cold, calculating creature. The insult she had given him caused a complete reversal.

Lifting her up by the throat, Hiei began to strangle her while screaming in her face.

"GODDAMNIT! TELL ME WHERE THE PHARAOH'S THOUGHTS LIE, OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES! I HAVE A DUEL TO WIN, AND I WILL NOT HAVE SOME IMMATURE, BADLY DRESSED PSYCHO MESS WITH MY HEAD AND GET IN THE WAY OF MY DESTINY! TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW, OR I WILL FLAY YOU ALIVE AND BOIL YOU IN MOLTEN ROCK!!!"

"Well, you made three mistakes today. The first was challenging Yugi to a duel with someone else's deck. The second was to try to invade his mind. And the third was laying your hands on me." 

The teen pulled out a skewer from out of nowhere, and shoved it into the fire demon's leg.

"GYAHHHH!!! GODDAMNIT! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME? WHO ARE YOU? _WHAT ARE YOU?"_

There Hiei lay, steeped in a pool of his own blood, wondering what to do about the situation at hand. 

_This is a mental defense the likes of which I have never seen before. It's almost like whoever this woman is, she is connected to the vessel that this Pharaoh inhabits, like a portion of Mouto's very soul. Whoever she is, she must mean a huge amount to the Pharaoh's inferior with which he boards._

Yet that is not the only problem here. If I did not know better, I would imagine I had seen this wretch before, although I know I have never seen her in the entire course of my existence. Unless...

No, IT CANNOT BE!

Is this the embodiment of the force that was destined to challenge my power, the "Heart of the Cards" that the monarch rants about? Or is it...something more?

Hiei tore out the skewer, which morphed into sand and slid between his fingers. _If this is the so-called "power of friendship" that defeated Maximillion Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, than it will take more than the Millennium Eye to defeat Mouto and Yami. _

I will need to fuse the power of the Millennium Eye and the Shadow powers I metabolized from the Makai Prison Fortress. Not only that, I will need to tap into the ancient power of King Yama himself. It is the only way I will be able to overwhelm the Millennium Puzzle and the defenses within! 

The demon stood up, and his ceremonial garb was replaced with something much more powerful. 

The cloak of the High Priesthood of the Demonic Order was replacedby shimmering black armor, plates upon plates of cold, dark steel trimmed with a dark blue and red, indicated in elaborate designs of vast battles taking place over torn wasteland.

The gauntlets were rimmed in a mercury-like substance that reflected many different colors and hues as the angle of light altered. Emblazoned upon each was a set of Hieroglyphs that read "Darkness reigns, Light defends, when will yonder battle end?"

Yet the most frightening aspect of this armor was the helm. It was in the design of a British bassinet helmet, yet the visor was in the design of a Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Both eyes, carven of a rare mixture of amber and rubies, burned with a fury the likes of which the girl had never seen. Yet she hardly got to see it closely; before she could get a good observation, Hiei had vanished into midair. 

Back on the field of battle, the King of Demons issued his mighty roar.

"Know this, Yami! You may have been able to prevent my access to your mind this time, but there is no way on Earth you will hold me back so easily again! Once I find the weakness to this imbecilic defense you have set up against me, you will fall at my hand, and once the Power of Egypt is at my disposal, nothing will stop me from ruling the world! Not you, not Yusuke Urameshi, not even the force of the Deus ex Machina!* 

"For over five thousand years, my family has pined for the power to overthrow King Yama and his system of power. It was said in my village of dark fire that he who would destroy Yama's son would rule the universe! I fulfilled that prophecy, and this defeat will seal my ultimate power. So make your move, Yami! Nothing will save you now!"

During this long-winded speech, Yami had been looking through his hand for the proper cards to defeat Hiei...and he found them.

"That is where you're wrong, fiend. You seem to not realize something: my hand is loaded with magic cards, which means you're finished. For you see, you laid everything in place for this final move.

"I can only assume that you wanted to see the Heart of the Cards firsthand. Allow me to demonstrate. I play this Magic card, Offerings to the Doomed, to destroy one face-up monster. And I select Slate Warrior!"

Without warning, the Slate Warrior was bound by chains to a huge slab of iron. Surrounding the slab were seven white gold jars. Slowly but surely, the jars were causing the Slate Warrior to rot as his life force was drained into the jars. To put it simply, the Magic card was eating him alive.

"What have you done to my Slate Warrior?!"

"It's very simple. Offerings to the Doomed allows me to destroy one face-up monster on either player's field, but I must skip my next Draw Phase. Since your Slate Warrior was the only monster standing between me and your life points, however, it was well worth it.

"With your monster out of the way, I can destroy you with one move; for you see, Hiei, Relinquished isn't the only absorption monster in existence, as you have been led to believe. Behold one of the most powerful Spellcasters in Duel Monsters, the Magical Metaboliser!"

If you have ever seen an ameba, one of the strangest single-celled organisms in the world, then you will have a basic idea of what the Metaboliser looks like. This strange magician is basically a black slime that changes form every few seconds, with long, barbed talons and a coat of sharp spikes that pulsed with energy. (0/0)

For reasons unknown, Hiei was not impressed.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! Is this your idea of a joke? You think that this monstrosity of a blob can overwhelm me! It couldn't overwhelm a Kuribo, let alone the full power of the Master of Darkness!"

Yami smirked; this fool's ignorance would be his undoing.

"You apparently don't know the Metaboliser's special power, do you?"

"Sp...special power?"

"I knew it. For such a powerful duelist, you have very little knowledge of the cards themselves.

"The Magic Metaboliser has an effect that allows me to discard Magic and Trap cards from my hand. For each one discarded, the Attack and Defense power of the Metaboliser increases by 1000. So I will discard 4 magic cards to increase his Attack and Defense by 4000!" The blobby magician solidified and took the shape of a powerful titan armed with clubs and battle axes. (4000/4000) "Magical Metaboliser, attack his life points directly with Blast of Armageddon!"

The mage was just beginning to power up when Hiei attempted to save his hide. 

"Ha! Did you really expect to escape that easily, Pharaoh? Activate Magic Cylinder! This rare and powerful Trap negates any and all attacks and transfers them to you're life points as battle damage! This duel is over!"

"For the first and only time, you're right, Hiei. With the exception of one detail: the victory is mine. Or have you forgotten your _other_ powerful Trap on the field?"

"What do you mean, porcupine head?"

"Take a good look at your Magic Cylinder. It doesn't look so good."

He was right. The tube that under normal circumstances would have stopped any attack was melting. It could no longer withstand the attack.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"You apparently forgot your Royal Command Trap you played earlier. It negates all Trap cards, _including yours_."

"So that means..."

"That's right, Hiei. YOU LOSE!"

The unusually haired Pharaoh was knocked off his feet by the impact of the blast. The magical force was literally tearing Hiei apart, as he slowly was dismembered, limb by limb.

"THIS ISN'T OVER, MOUTO! THIS ISN'T OVER!"

And with that he was vaporized.

Yugi was about to transform into his regular self and see if his friends were okay, when he saw a pentagram emerge. It was glowing brightly against the darkness of the house; suddenly, an all too familiar image appeared.

"SHADI?"

Okay, who didn't see that coming? Keep reviewing, folks.

*= Deus ex Machina is Greek for "God from the Machine". It was once used for theatrics, but here it means the Megadeii from Big O.

SAYONARA! For now... 


	6. Death of a Guardian, Birth of a Conflict

Disclaimer: Tell me. DO I LOOK LIKE I OWN ANYTHING!? 

Chap. 5: Death of a Guardian, Birth of a Conflict

Note: If there are any Shadi fans out there, I suggest you turn back now...

"Shadi! What happened to you?"

The Guardian of the Millennium Items had aged many years over the three months since Yugi had last seen him. His skin, usually unblemished and free of any facial hair, was wrinkled and splotchy like he had aged 50 years, and was sprouting a long gray beard. 

Shadi's form was severely affected as well. His arms were twisted and jutting out at hideous angles, and his ankles were facing up and backwards, like they had been warped with an iron vise. 

"My Pharaoh..."

"Shadi, who did this to you? Does this have anything to do with the demon I just vanquished."

"You did not vanquish him by any stretch. He still roams the universe, under the protection of his three..."

Shadi began coughing uncontrollably, as though he was close to the edge of death.

Yami paled in horror as a realization dawned on him. "He stole your Millennium Ankh and Scales..."

"And without them I age. Each day is like a year for me."

Yugi began speaking through the link to his personal foil, yet trusted ally.

*Yami, how did Hiei gain Shadi's Items? I don't know that much about him, but from what Yusuke told me, he didn't even have any Shadow powers at all! And if the only way to gain someone else's Item is through a Shadow Game, then there is no way he even could have the Millennium Eye!*

*I cannot understand it either, Hikari. We can only assume, and that is an unhealthy plan.* 

Yugi retook control of his body at this point. Turning towards the dying Egyptian, the gears of his psyche began to turn. 

_It doesn't make any sense. If what Yusuke told me was true, then Hiei can't possibly be the wielder of the Millennium Eye, so how did he utilize it. But more importantly, how did he get the Eye, or even a deck? It's almost like...HE was destined to wield it, not Pegasus. Maybe I should communicate with the lord of the spirit world. He'll know what to do. _

And with that, Yugi and Yami began to chant the curse necessary to unlock the gates to the Spirit World. 

_Shadows ahead, light behind_

Take us to the go-between

That warps the Shadow people's mind 

__

And goes by Ningenkai unseen.

Yet fore I go, release my friends

As the World slowly turns

Release them soon, let dark spell end,

Long before our soon return.

And with that, Yami Yugi vanished.

Shadi lay, his life force draining slowly, and with his final breath came two words: "Good luck."

Sorry this is so short; I'm having a creative slump. After Yugi returns from the spirit world, we'll find out how he met Yusuke, the details of the tournament, and how Yami Bakura fits into this.

Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated. 


	7. Black Shadow's Domination

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Oh by the way, sorry my chaps have been so short. Things will get interesting.

Chap. 6: Black Shadow's Domination

Spirit World, Dark Palace

"L...lord Hiei? Something h...has gone..."

Hiei sighed, irritated as always by the incredible stupidity of the Ogre servants left over from Koenma's work force. Turning towards him with an eerie serenity, the Demon King delivered his ultimatum.

"You had better have an extremely good reason for disturbing me, Ogre. I am in the middle of a very important meeting."

The ogre looked as if he had swallowed a lump of hot coal. It did not take him long to understand what he had disturbed...and what would happen to him. 

"Well, are you going to stand there like the imbecile you are, or explain yourself."

"It's Yugi, sir. He's infiltrated our defenses. We only figured this out now."

"You seem to forget that I know all that happens within the confines of the Makai regions, and you also seem to forget that I specifically told you and the other barbarians that I was not to be disturbed for ANY reason at all. For you see, Ogre, my business here is much more important than any news you and the scum that you live with can provide. So if you want to live to see your next paycheck, I strongly suggest you remove yourself from my presence and crawl back into the shit hole you crawled out from."

"Excuse me, sir?!"

Hiei lowered his head in a level of humiliated frustration that none had ever seen before. Apparently the fact that his inferior servants had never stood up to him before was something of deepest shame to him. Yet beneath the bowed head of the fire demon king, a sinister thought was mechanizing in his head.

_Under no circumstances can I allow this disobedience to continue within my organization. If word gets out that a lowly ogre stood against me, there might very well be an absolute uprising against my entire association. I CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN._

The question is not, however, how I shall punish him. It is more a question of how I can use it to my utmost advantage. And I think I have just the plan.

Hiei lifted his head to face his subordinate with a look of cold fury that none had seen before. From the looks of it, the ogre was about to spend his last few hours in horrific agony. 

"Ogre, you of all people should know that insubordination to a high official of the Imperialism is a capital offence. Under normal circumstances, I would have to have you executed. However, I still have other plans that require accomplishment.

"To this end, I have a small proposal that I am certain you will accept; if not, I will personally send you to the Lava Pit, where your scrawny body will be engulfed in the molten corpse of the Old World. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, Lord Hiei. What is thy bidding?"

"Bring me Seto Kaiba and his dueling deck. The rest will explain itself."

The ogre ran out of the throne room as fast as possible.

Hiei turned towards his guests of honor. Each of these various gang bosses had requested an audience with the new king of Makai, and he had been quite happy to oblige them.

Each of these visitors had served him in one way or other; from Yami Bakura, the spirit of the Millennium Ring that had made allegiance with Hiei in exchange for physical manifestation , to Michael Seebach, also known as Schwarztchvald, a former reporter for the Paradigm press turned super terrorist, devoted to "enlightening" the people of the Domes, who now served as Hiei's most trusted right hand.

All of the people in this room shared one common goal: international domination.

_Most interesting. Each and every single person in this room brought their dueling decks that I specifically designed for each one. Let's hope they have the dueling experience they told me they have._

Standing to his full height, the fire demon addressed his fellow operatives.

"Esteemed members of the Black Shadow Organization, you have called me here to discuss a plan that, according to my confidant, could give us dominion over the Millennium Items that have remained free, as well as the three Egyptian God cards, created by the original owner of the Millennium Eye. Youkai Kurama, I believe it was you that devised this plan?"

Youkai Kurama, a fox demon of infamous strategic and thievery, stood up from his chair.

"Yes, Hiei. This plan is sure to draw out our required targets.

"As each and every one of you know, about a week before Koenma's disappearance six months ago, a Duel Monsters tournament, devised by the late Alexander Rosewater, was in the process of planning. Once both Rosewater and Koenma were out of the way, our spies were able to take complete control of this tournament and grant us access to the Duel Disks and invitations necessary to enter. This way, we will be able to control the tournament's events perfectly.

"However, new complications arose when Hiei, using an ogre's deck, was defeated by Yugi Mouto and the spirit in his Millennium Puzzle, and when Seto Kaiba, president and CEO of Kaiba Corp, shut down our arms trade in Siberia. Since he is rumored to wield Obelisk the Tormentor and the Millennium Rod, he is also one of our chief targets.

"Our plan is to hold the tournament, and make sure that Yugi and Kaiba enter this tournament...AND LOSE!" 

Hiei chuckled, then suddenly began laughing. 

"Perfect", said Hiei as he regained his composure, "the plan will go according to schedule. This meeting is adjourned. I will see you all at the tournament."

And with this, the board members exited.

Not bad, eh? Several questions remain. What does Roger Smith play in all this? How did Yusuke meet Yugi and Joey? Does Kuwabara duel in the tournament? 

All these question and more will be answered next time and later on in "Force of Darkness, hear my cry"!

Please don't flame me! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, so happy Turkey Day!

Oh, by the way, if you have any idea as to who Yugi, Joey, Roger, or Yusuke should duel first in the new tournament, let me know! 


	8. Hiei's Kingdom

Disclaimer: Is this really necessary? I don't own anything!

This takes place about the same time Hiei is meeting with the members of his dark association, after Yugi entered the Spirit World. As of yet, Yugi does not know that Hiei has become the despotic ruler of Makai.. 

And if you thought Hiei was evil last time, wait until you see his kingdom.

This is going to be kind of a short chapter. If anybody has any suggestions as to how Yugi and the gang met Yusuke, let me know.

Chap. 7: Hiei's Kingdom

"Oh dear God..."

Yugi had just broken through the barrier to the Spirit World. It had taken an enormous amount of Shadow powers to enter, more so than the last visit they had made to the realm between realms. Indeed, it was almost as if someone had _wanted _to block his arrival. 

After what Yugi had seen in the first few seconds of his visit, he almost wished he hadn't returned.

The entire scene was alight with fire and molten steel that had now engulfed the plain where Yugi had entered. Thousands upon thousands of tortured serfs slowly worked at erecting huge towers and what appeared to be a colossal statue on the horizon.

Men, women, and even children were working vast bellows to melt their own gold, gold that they needed to survive. And swarming about the place were powerful slave drivers, armed with a simple whip...with a cluster of razor-sharp daggers at the end. 

*Yugi, are you going to be all right? If not, I think I can take over for a while. *

Yugi barely heard his yami in the mind link communication. His entire train of thought was focused on the scenery before him, this synthetic hell. 

*Yugi? YUGI! *

Yami had very rarely raised his voice to attract his Light's attention, so this time, Yugi turned his attention to his darker counterpart.

*What kind of monster is responsible for this, Yami? Who could be so cold-hearted as to force their own people to do their own dirty work for them? *

*Whoever it is, he or she must have a very powerful hold on these people. They outnumber their tormenters a thousand to one, yet as far as I can see no one has yet tried to begin an uprising against the drivers. The king of this land has perfected the balance of two devices: power, and fear. *

Suddenly, a thought struck Yugi, as if divine intervention had set it into his head. 

*Yami, Yusuke told me very little about Hiei when we met him, but I did gather this: not one soul has ever tried to stand against the demon and lived to tell of it. There was also the matter of the Dark Tournament a few years back; the entire Spirit world saw him fight more than any other member of Team Urameshi, so all he needed to do was acquire enough power to back up his domination! *

Suddenly, realization came upon Yami with great force.

*Of course! That explains why he murdered Alex Rosewater! In order for Hiei to take control of Spirit World, he would need enough power to overthrow Koenma and keep the Spirit World in check; where better to find power than Paradigm City after removing Koenma from the picture. However, something isn't right here. If he already has four Millennium Items, presuming he hasn't made allegiance with Yami Bakura, why does he need the Puzzle? *

* I have a feeling we will soon find out, Yami...*

Deep within Hiei's palace there is a hidden corridor in which only he and the members of his inner circle. In this corridor, thousands of pages of text, detailing the finer points of black magic, line the walls carven of obsidian.

Hiei sat in this chamber, in a throne hewn out of skulls and black iron, using his Millennium Eye to view Yugi and his thoughts.

Sighing dejectedly, Hiei turned in his rotating perch towards a figure dressed in midnight blue, standing near the doorway.

"Once again, Yugi and his counterpart are quite mistaken in their baseless assumption. They think that my plan is simple control of the Spirit world, yet those fools cannot begin to grasp the full extent of my scheme, just as they cannot comprehend the strength of my own prowess. It is this presumptuousness that shall lead to their inevitable demise."

"SCHWARZVALD", roared the Demon King to a near-by intercom, "bring me Yugi and Yami Mouto as swift as humanly possible! And bring our guest along. I have a feeling she will like to go on a little trip." The intercom was shut down immediately. Addressing his strangely dressed caller, Hiei sneered, "I am certain you would like to devastate your friend and his ancient freeloader, wouldn't you?"

The dark hood fell away to reveal a glassy-eyed Tea Gardener.

"How ironic. The one person you couldn't live without will soon die at your hand. And I thought you cared deeply for your friends. Ah, well, I guess that's what happens if you have part of a demon in you. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Sorry this was so short. Things will pick up next chapter, when Yugi and Schwarzvald cross paths for the first time. Expect a battle royale! This is only the beginning, though, as the ultimate Duel Monsters tournament is on the horizon, where all shall be decided. 

REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! 

Well, it took a while, but I saw an episode of Inuyasha last night, and it's pretty good! 


	9. Enter the Negotiator

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing! Deal with it!

This chapter will feature the battle between Yugi and Schwarzvald (sp?), so stay tuned. This also features the first appearance of any other Big O characters, the first implications of the Duel Monsters Tournament I've been hinting at for the past few chapters, and a surprise guest appearance later in the fic by Inuyasha! I do not own it!

. If you are wondering why Schwarzvald allied with Hiei in the first place, then that will clarify itself in due time.

Oh, one more thing. This chapter will also clarify how Hiei managed to control Tea's mind.

Let it begin!

Chap. 8: Enter the Negotiator

Dark Palace; Master Bedroom No. 2

Schwarzvald had entered his master bedroom in time to here Hiei's demands of him on the intercom system.

With a sigh, the former Paradigm investigative reporter sank into his favorite armchair: an elaborately carved recliner with the finest down cushions that money could buy. It was the only thing left from his past life as a subservient flunky to Alex Rosewater and his corrupt regime. At times, he would often wonder why he kept this old thing, this sturdy chair that remained to bind him to the ignorant bliss of his pre-terrorist days. As he sat in the chair, he got to thinking.

It's_ somewhat ironic how this situation is like a chair in many ways. As long as every component of the chair stays in place_, _that seat will stand strong no matter how much you beat it. Yet remove even one component, place in even one faulty portion, and the seat comes crashing down with the first blow._

__

Ever since Yugi Mouto came into play, our entire plan has been degenerating by the second. Apparently, my superior thinks that by removing Mouto from the picture, he will remove any and all flaws in the plan. Yet I cannot help thinking that the Paradigm lapdog might come into play. 

It seems I must strike whilst the iron is hot.

Turning towards the hidden two-way walkie-talkie in his bandages, the terrorist turned confidant sent a message to the hidden bunker near the palace where he took board.

"Bunker One? This is Schwarzvald. Put Big Duo back online!" 

Yugi and Yami had been walking for about an hour through the forests of Spirit World. Once they had left the ironmongery fields behind, the general population had continued to increase as they moved forward. Seemingly, these fields were avoided whenever possible, for obvious reasons: supposedly, any civilians that were caught wandering near the dreaded fields were to be immediately captured and enslaved, doomed to work in the smithies for the rest of their lives.

Yugi had been thinking about the state of affairs that had commenced since his first meeting with Hiei: how twisted and warped he had seemed in comparison to Yusuke's tales of him, the psychosis that had seemed to envelop him, and the horrible land that he had created. 

_I don't get it! If Hiei already has several Millennium Items AND the power of his Jagen Eye, why does he continue to stand against me and Yami? It's like he's not really after all seven Items as much as my Puzzle; the other Items_ _are simply tools to gain a greater force! And there's also the fact that he can even wield one Millennium Item, let alone four!_

Maybe it's just paranoia, but I think Hiei might have a greater motive than simply collecting the Millennium Items! But what is it?

Yugi's attention was derailed as he stepped out of the forest onto a great plain near the edge of the mountains. The scenery spanned many miles in almost every direction. Thousands of flora and fauna seemed to make their home here, and the sun was shining as if it was noon every hour. 

Yet despite the beauty and splendor of the place, Yugi couldn't shake a feeling of great dread. It was as though a black cloud was strangling his very soul.

*Yami, something is here that's giving off a dark aura. It almost seems like we're being watched!*

*I felt something, too. Whatever it is, it seems to be coming from that lake, on an island in the center of it.*

Yugi, however, could not see an island, nor could he see the mysterious figure lunging at him...until it was too late.

*YUGI!*

The Pharaoh's warning came a second after it happened.

The diminutive youth felt a spin kick connect with the back of his head. Normally, such a blow would have killed him, but his Millennium Puzzle gave a temporary protection against such a sneak attack.

Still, the kick was jarring enough to send Yugi reeling. For a split second, he was completely stunned, yet his attacker did not strike again. 

Yugi did the only thing reasonable: he fused with Yami.

Yami, now back in control, began looking for his assailant in the grassland. It did not take too long: he was standing atop a pinnacle of rock at the lake's edge. He was a terrible sight to behold.

The enigmatic warrior was wrapped mostly in grimy bandages that fluttered in the chill breeze of the plains. In addition to the gauze wrapping, he wore a dull beige suit and coat, both equally as filthy as the bandages he was encased in. One of his exposed eyes was behind a steel cover, and the other was wild and erratic, signaling this man was completely insane. In one hand was what appeared to be a remote control; the other held a silver assault rifle with the words "Bringer of Death" carved into the side in Hieratic. 

Yami stared down this new menace with a degree of hatred and fear. 

_So, this is the evil force that Yugi felt earlier. What does he want?_

Yami soon found out, when the source of fear spoke in an erratic, unstable voice.

"Well, well, well; Yugi Mouto, King of Games in the outside world, we meet at last. I had a feeling you would be coming about now."

Yami had a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something didn't seem quite right about this strange assassin; he seemed to be taking a while to attack. 

"You seem a little perturbed, Yugi. You apparently don't seem to understand why I am here, and I can change that, permanently!" 

"Wait just one minute! Who the hell are you!?" 

"I can be described as many things, Yugi. I can be a prophet, an anarchist, and in your case, an executioner!" 

Lifting the assault rifle to his shoulder, the assassin began firing mercilessly at Yami. 

_Just great. _

It is quite easy to say that Yami, as a young man in Northern Egypt, had to constantly dodge many a bolt and blast of necromancy as he traveled from city to city. And although these bullets were much faster than any arrow that he had once had to dodge, the basic structure of the assault rifle's ammunition was the same. 

"HA! You are an even greater fool than I could have imagined! You see, even you can't dodge bullets forever; however, I can keep firing forever. For you see, this rifle was especially designed by Lord Hiei to never run out of ammunition! So therein, while I can keep shooting at you for all eternity, you can only keep running for so long!"

One of the bullets hit the ground right under Yami's feet, causing him to lose his footing.

"AHAHAHA! Once more, I prove superior to the corrupted fools that stood against my unstoppable might! Even you, the King of Games, could not stand a chance against me, the all-powerful Schwarzvald!"

"SCHWARZVALD?! So you're the terrorist that destroyed a quarter of Paradigm City!" 

"Ha! Paradigm City deserved to take such a blow to it's omnipotent ego! What no one seems to realize is that Paradigm was built on nothing but LIES! Damnable lies! The fool Rosewater attempted to cover the catastrophic event that wiped Paradigm of it's memories by creating those accursed domes, and when I danced too close to the flame of the truth, I was the one to pay the price for that fool's blunder!"

"Really. If that's the case, then you can tell me what purpose you have here."

"Yugi, I am a servant of the almighty Lord Hiei, King of the Spirit World!"

"Well, in that case, I have one thing to say to you: MIND CRUSH!"

The blast from Yami's Shadow Power, although it did not kill the anarchist, did send him hurling into the sky. He then proceeded to crash land onto the pinnacle of rock that he had been standing on just a minute before. 

Yami had just stood up when Schwarzvald leapt into the sky, holding a 12-guage shotgun. But this time, he bolted towards the tree cover near the lake. 

*Yami, why did he go into the tree cover?*

*I have a bad feeling about this...*

Schwarzvald stepped into the opening carrying what appeared to be a hooded figure. He was pointing his shotgun at whoever was beneath the cloak.

"You see, Yugi, there are more ways to defeat a corrupt duelist. I wouldn't try anything dodgy, if I were you; take one step closer, and the hostage dies. And I have a feeling you won't want this person to die."

With that, the former reporter unveiled his captive, who turned out to be...

"TEA! What have you done to her?!"

"Oh, I did not do a thing. You see, Hiei has always had an ability to twist people to such a degree that they would do his every bidding. Thanks to his new Millennium Items, he can now channel that ability to make anyone his mindless chattels at will!

"Now, as for you; if you surrender without making a fuss, I might release Gardener without slaying her. Yet make one false move and the girl dies!" 

*Yami, we have to do what he says. You can stop him from taking the Puzzle, but I won't put Tea's life on the line!*

*Listen, he obviously has no intention of releasing her; I don't know how, but I know that he's much more intelligent than we think. You see, if he releases his hostage, he'll have no way of keeping us here!*

"Well, Mouto, are you going to surrender, or do I have to add another casualty to my very long list?"

"We will not surrender to the likes of you!"

*YAMI!*

The Pharaoh ignored Yugi's plea, but attempted to console him.

*Don't worry, Aibou. I have a feeling that help is about to arrive.*

Schwarzvald pushed the shotgun to Tea's forehead with an insane smile.

"Well, I see that your lives are much more important than that of your friends! Say goodbye, Gardener!"

"SPIRIT GUN!" 

Without warning a blue stream of energy roared out of the forest and knocked the shotgun out of Schwarzvald's hand. At the same time, Yusuke Urameshi stepped into the clearing, followed by a much older man dressed in black, and what appeared to be a red-clothed human with long white hair and two wolf ears.

Yami and Yugi were very pleasantly surprised to see their recently acquired friend, but were not too sure about the other two.

"Hey, Yusuke! How did you get here?"

"Well, once I broke through the protective barrier, I heard about how you and Yugi were moving through the Spirit World Forest, so I tracked you down!"

"Who are those two?"

"I'll explain later. Let's take this fool down!"

Yet Schwarzvald was nowhere to be seen, until...

From behind the mountains, a gargantuan robot was slowly hovering over the scene. It was mostly red, with a face of half-black and half white. 

Atop this monstrosity was Schwarzvald. 

"AHAHAHAHA! You fools! You are all fools! Did you really think your mind games and beams of light could defeat me? Well, you were all sadly mistaken! Especially you, Roger Smith!" 

The black haired man in the matching suit, now identified as Roger Smith, stepped forward. 

"Schwarzvald! This is impossible; you're supposed to be dead! How could you have survived that explosion?!"

"Do not be so flippant with me, Paradigm lapdog! Did you really expect a mere explosion of my megadeuce could kill ME?! I have survived every torment known to man; a mere explosion could not possibly kill me!"

Yami was shocked that this complete stranger could know the psychotic terrorist that he had been fighting against for a half-hour.

*Yugi, how do you think this "Roger Smith" knows this man?*

*Well, if Schwarzvald knows this guy, then I think it would work both ways, wouldn't it?* 

Schwarzvald, who had been ranting thus far, suddenly lifted Tea by the collar of her shirt.

"YUGI! You said you wanted Tea back in here right mind, am I correct? Well, I release her from the spell that binds her, but you'll have to catch her!" 

And with that, he shoved Tea off the side of the Megadeuce, and himself jumped into the cockpit and soared off, with a curse of "We'll meet again, Yugi! And when we do, you will not be so lucky!" 

"TEA! NO!"

Yami began running at his full speed towards the younger girl's soon-to-be crash site, yet it was painfully obvious he was not going to make it. 

_At this rate of speed, I'll never catch her! I need something to boost me so I can grab her in midair, but what?_

Suddenly, Yami felt something ram into him from behind, shoving him forward at an alarming pace. However, the push was well worth the pain, as he was able to catch Tea before she hit the ground.

As Yami landed into the surprisingly warm water, a thought occurred to him: _who did push me from behind? It couldn't have been Yusuke; even he couldn't push that hard. So who did it? _

This was his last conscious thought before he blacked out. 

*Yami? Yami, are you all right?*

The half-dead Pharaoh was back in Domino City, in Solomon Mouto's Game Shop. He had been out cold for the past five hours, and he could feel a sharp pain in his side. 

_Whoever gave me that helping push certainly did a number on me. _

At this point, Yami remembered something very important. 

*Yugi, where's Tea? Is she...*

Suddenly, the strange looking demon in the red garb spoke up. "Don't worry, your friend is perfectly safe. You, on the other hand, have a sprained rib and a minor concussion. For someone that was considered a god in Egypt, you certainly aren't that reasonable. Oh, for purposes of communication, I go by the name Inuyasha. You've already met Mr. Negotiator over there," motioning towards Roger Smith, "and I can only assume you owe me some kind of gratitude."

"You mean _you _were the person that rammed into me?!"

"That's right."

Yami stood up and walked towards the door. At the bottom of it was a letter. He opened it, and read its contents with reasonable shock.

"Well, what's it say, Yug?", quipped Joey, who had just woken up.

"It seems we have been invited to...a Duel Monsters Tournament."

To be continued

Well, it took me a while, but I finally finished this chapter. Tune in next time, when the Tournament details come to light, R. Dorothy comes into play, and Hiei contemplates his attack tactic.

And remember the three R's: REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! 


	10. Trial by Fire

Disclaimer: Not an anime here is in my possession. Excuse me if I was a little rude last time!

As you know, last chapter was the battle between Yugi and Michael Seebach, or Schwarzvald as he's known. Now, I tune things down a bit, as two new legendary cards hit the scene. Next chapter, Inuyasha begins building a deck for the tournament, and we finally find out how Yugi and the gang know Yusuke. But before I begin this chapter, I want to put two small questions by you readers: should I do a sequel to this once it is finished, and what should I do for my next big fic? Let me know in a review. 

Chap. 9: Checkered past and unclear future

Dark Fortress, Crypt of the Shadow Tyrant 

"LORD HIEI! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME! HAVE MERCY!"

The Ogre that had been sent to defeat Seto Kaiba had returned from the battlefront. As can be expected, the Ogre was swiftly beaten by the superior duelist. Also not surprisingly, Hiei was not in a pleasant mood, taking into consideration that his assaults on his opposition had failed three times in one day. 

It was for this reason that the servant was being dragged along by three Soul Pipers that Hiei had conjured using his Shadow powers. Normally, such creatures only took the souls of children if their eyes opened, but since Hiei was controlling them like puppets, their eyes were wide open, and they were dragging the ogre into the depths of Hell.

Hiei, of course, was not lamenting the loss of the foul creature. In fact, he was jubilant to see him being dragged into the abyss.

Turning towards the other ogres, the superior demon addressed them with a cold, haughty air, while chuckling as the sobbing one was dragged completely into the vortex.

"Know this, mindless chattels. The poor simpleton I sent to an early and seemingly unjust damnation was punished for two simple reasons: he was flippant, and he failed in his appointed mission. And unless you want to endure the same fate, you will obey my every command from this point onward. 

"To this end, I am issuing an imperial decree: from this point forward, all monetary earnings that an ogre gains will be transferred directly to the Royal Treasury. Any ogre found of withholding currency will have their food rations cut by ninety percent. If an ogre should break this command more than once, or if an outside source aides them in any way, the infidels in question will be taken by the Soul Pipers, or worse, my left hand, Yami Bakura, will take you into custody. Any questions?" 

An eerie silence had settled onto the vast mausoleum where Hiei usually made his important announcements, yet before long the crowd began to disperse. Slowly but surely the heartbroken wretches were returning to their bleak and meaningless lives.

As the waifs returned to the surface world, several new guests entered in their stead: the Dark Mages, enigmatic sorcerers spawned from the Void of Darkness that served their master alone. These were the most powerful and wicked beings in the Mortal and Spirit Realms, yet their near-limitless power was bound to their overlord's will. Not even Yami could completely tap into their dark magic.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

Hiei allowed himself a minute smile at the simplicity of the fools. _By simply calling them forward from the Void, I have made them my obedient slaves. Not only that, they have finally procured the two cards I need to finally defeat Yugi and Kaiba. That fool Yusuke I can eliminate without using these cards, yet the others might require them._

Hiei was, of course, talking of the Messengers of Chaos. 

The leader of these necromancers stepped forward. Cloaked in a hooded mantle of a silky onyx and wearing obsidian armor in the style of a samurai warrior, the gauntlets of which ended in razor-sharp talons, he was a dreadful sight to behold. 

In said claws was a box hewn out of solidified darkness.

Hiei, although he did not show it, was in a state of unbridled rapture.

"Perfect. You have served me well, gentlemen. Now, about this fee of yours, it is a little...steep."

The Mage's voice echoed in Hiei's mind.

I am afraid that the price we originally agreed on stands. You see, in order for my operatives to continue working for you, I must be compensated in full. You may be able to sway the others of my pathetic tribe to do your bidding, but I will not be so easily persuaded.

Hiei turned away from the spell caster. For the second time that day, an infidel was standing up to him recklessly. This time, however, he would take the direct approach.

"Very well, necromancer. I will pay you... BY SENDING YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL! DRAGON OF THE DARKNESS FLAME! EMERGE FROM YOUR ANCIENT SLUMBER AND LAY WASTE TO THIS IMBECILE!"

As he lifted his arm to the heavens, it began to radiate a demonic glow. This slowly fashioned itself into the form of a serpentine dragon formed from black flames, which bellowed it's devastating screech for all to hear. As it did so, the dragon converged upon the disobedient mage, who did not have the time to utter a scream. 

Within seconds, the only thing remaining was some innards, the armor, and the black box.

Hiei picked up this box, and spoke into his personal intercom. 

"Yami Bakura? Bring my inter-realm cruiser, the _Des Volstgulph, _into the hangar. _We're going to Domino City!"_

To be continued...

Sorry this was so short, but I'm kinda short on inspiration. We will find out what is in the box next time. Oh, by the way, I'll continue the next chapter, so long as I get at least one review.

Oh, one more thing. If you want to read a great Inuyasha fic, check out "Change of Heart" by SoulofSaturn. It rocks! 


	11. The Hellfire Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing here! BACK, FILTHY LAWYERS! BACK, I SAY!

Well, as you know, last chapter featured Hiei destroying a greedy necromancer, after which he took a black box from him. The contents of this box will come into play later in the fic. 

Now, since I do not want to go to the trouble of integrating how Yugi-tachi met Yusuke, so here it is. 

As you know from the second chapter, Yusuke was called upon to investigate the murder of Alex Rosewater. However, Yusuke did not return in time to stop Hiei from murdering Koenma. Therein, the detective was banished from Spirit World, his hometown was sacked by Hiei's servants, Keiko was eliminated, and Yusuke arrived in Domino, where he befriended Yugi after losing to him in a duel. 

As for Kuwabara and Botan, theirs will be a much bigger role in this tale than I thus far have led you to believe. 

Well, enough of that boring intro! Let's move forward, shall we?

Chapter 10: The Hellfire Tournament

Kame Game Shop

Silence had come upon the small card shop, and for a moment or two, time seemed to have slowed down. 

You see, there had thus far been no public announcement, no huge overture, no grand celebration. There was simply the invitations, and five forearm length gauntlets of varying shades of silver. Attached to each was a crest, a key, and a medium-size jewel. Aside from a deck slot, a life point counter, and a small sealed compartment midway up the gauntlet, there were no other distinguishable features. 

Inuyasha was the first to speak. 

"Okay, WHAT the heck is going on? And what are these gauntlets, anyway?"

If the half-demon said anything else, it fell on deaf ears, for at this point, each of the gauntlets began to glow an eerie green. While this was occurring, the crests was lifting until it was about five inches above it's original position. And from these elevated ensigns came a life-size hologram of a human.

A human that Roger Smith recognized all too well. 

"Alex Rosewater..."

The late head of Paradigm Corporation and the faux domineuce of the legendary Big Fau had supposedly been wiped from existence five years ago in the battle of megadeuces that wiped out a huge part of the City of Domes. Inexplicably, however, Rosewater returned several weeks after with a militia strong enough to defeat the shattered remnants of the Military Police. Since the Big O was completely shut down during this time and Roger had been exiled immediately after the apocalyptic battle, there was nothing stopping him from establishing a totalitarian rule over the people of the Domes until Hiei eliminated him. 

Of course, the ex-negotiator of Paradigm was completely unaware of the turn of events that had occurred since his expulsion. Therein, he had had no idea that Rosewater was still alive. Yet before he could in any way respond to this turn of events, the holographic Rosewater addressed the people before him.

"Greetings, duelists. My name is Alex Rosewater, and in case you are too simple to determine this fact, I have deemed you worthy of entering the Hellfire Duel Monsters Tournament!

"If you have received your invitation, than the Duel Gauntlet will activate in five...four...three...two...one. System Initiate!"

Suddenly, each of the gauntlets in question began to hover in the air. At the same time, the molecular structure altered into a fluid, mercury-like form and attached to Yugi, Joey, Inuyasha, Roger, and Yusuke.

"Gah! Get this thing off me!" Joey's exclamation pretty much summed up the feeling of each person unlucky enough to have the gauntlet attach to them. It quite literally felt like the forearm it attached to was being melted away and replaced with molten iron. 

For the most part, this was actually happening. 

As soon as the pain ceased, which didn't take very long at all, the holographic Rosewater spoke again. 

"Ignore the sense of pain you have just experienced, as it is simply the assimilation of the gauntlet. It will fully replace your forearm until the end of the Tournament.

"As to the details of such, the rules are as follows. Duels will be played by Battle City rules, with the exception of the fact that each duelist must use their cards as an ante. This is optional.

"Secondly, you have probably noticed the key and hidden compartment on each gauntlet. These are vital components, as you must gather seven keys to unlock the compartment. This will in turn reveal a jewel shard. In order to reach the finals, you must give this jewel shard to the finals transport site official. Only then can you be transported to the finals location.

"Finally, there will be a grand prize: five demands will be granted to whomever should win this tournament. 

"Transport vehicles will be arriving two hours after all gauntlets are active. Best of luck!" The hologram shut down afterwards, and the shield returned to it's original position. 

Five seconds passed, seconds that seemed like eons, before it happened.

*Yugi, I sense a dark force bearing down on us. Something is about to happen!*

And happen it did. For suddenly, a wave of iridescent light bathed over everyone in the parlor, including Tea and Solomon Mouto. The bodies, minds, and very souls of the victims were being materialized into sub-atomic light particles. And as the beams roared up into the heavens, a thought ran through Yugi's head.

_This has something to do with the tournament, I can feel it!_

Another short chapter, but a good cliffhanger never hurt anyone.

Alright, next time, Yugi and co. are about to find out that this tournament is being held on a much grander scale than previously anticipated. Hiei also is preparing, as he sets his hired thugs onto his enemies, one of which is a mysterious figure none will suspect! 

Also, we find out exactly what the Messengers of Chaos really are!

Until next time, REVIEW, READ, and DON'T FLAME! 


	12. Duel Fortress

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! NOT EVEN THAT QUOTE FROM THE MATRIX!

Last time, Yugi-tachi was given invitations to a grandiose tournament. However, unbeknownst to them, Hiei, who has been the mastermind the entire time, is plotting their downfall. 

In this chapter, we will discover where said tourney is being held, what happened to Yugi and his compatriots, and a hideous new twist that will begin to reveal a much darker side of Hiei.

BTW, in case you do not know, the Messengers of Chaos are actual, powerful cards. More details on the way.

Chapter 11: Duel Fortress, City in the Sky

Helms room of the _Des Volstgulph_, several miles above Domino City

"_System 35N activated. Transport subjects on board. Awaiting next command."_

This mechanical announcement was only one of a plethora of sounds in the helm of the dreaded inter-dimensional cruiser known as the _Des Volstgulph_, a vast, streamlined behemoth of a ship that spanned several miles in length. Despite its great size, however, only a select few could actual see it. This was because it was cursed in such a way that only some high-powered individuals could behold it. 

Even if another could see it, it would be the very last thing they saw. Hiei had designed this leviathan to destroy any and all that laid eyes on it...save those he deemed worthy.

It is fitting, therefore, that the ship's designer should also be the captain of such. Therein, he laid his command. 

"Computer, set navigation coordinates to Duel Fortress, full speed forward."

Turning towards the security camera panel, Hiei could not help but smile at the weakened fools he had captured. They had obviously never been transported by a spirit atom transfer device before.

_What Yugi and his pathetic friends do not realize that this tournament has much more on the line than they can possibly imagine. As soon as their bodies are fully recuperated, I will send them a little wakeup call. _

Soon, Yugi, your Millennium _Puzzle will be around my neck, where it should have been from the very beginning. You will wander the darkness, alone and afraid, unable to do a single thing, as you watch me bath in the blood of your friends and loved ones._

And don't think I have forgotten you, Inuyasha. Somewhere on your person is the final shard of the Shikon Jewel, the whole of which I will need to defeat Yugi and Yusuke and rob them of their power. 

As for you, Botan, your time will come soon enough, as have the times of all others who have opposed me. 

As these wicked words echoed in Hiei's mind, an even darker voice resounded.

_Talk is meaningless, Hiei. Take all the action and say all of the things you desire, for before long, all that you have gained shall belong to me!_

_Damn you. You seem to forget that I still possess the power of three Millennium Items and almost all of the Shikon Jewel, not to mention the Shadow Powers I already possess. You cannot stop me, old man!_

Remember this, Hiei. It is only a matter of time before I return to my full strength. And when I do, nothing will stop me from sending you to your death. 

The phantom voiceceased to be, and Yugi and his friends awoke.

"Perfect. Computer, activate holographic projectors and two-way vox systems for room 26_. _Oh, bring in Serenity Wheeler as well. It's about time her older brother had a little surprise..."

Suite No. 26

_Ugh... What happened? I feel like I got hit by a lightning bolt. And where am I?_

Regaining consciousness, Yugi began to regain some memory as well. 

_Oh my God..._

Standing to his full extent, Yugi began to look around his quarters. Since he had been forcibly captured, Yugi had expected small housings and heavy bonds upon him.

What he had not expected was a seven room presidential suite.

The entire main room was paneled in glorious precious woods that would normally cost a fortune. Exquisite paintings lined the walls, framed in varying tones of silver. There was a decanter set, a personal bar, a dining room, and an enormous flat panel big screen home theater system, all inlaid with precious stones. And this was just one of the rooms.

"Wow."

Such an abysmal and redundant exclamation was all that could exit Yugi's stunned jaws. The room in which he stood was absolutely marvelous, fit for royalty, even.

"Enjoy this while you can, my diminutive opponent. Call it a last meal, if you will."

Yugi turned around to face the mysterious speaker, who turned out to be none other than...

"Hiei! How did you get in here?"

"Relax, Mouto. Even I can't attack you from a hologram."

_A...hologram?_ And sure enough, his outstretched hand passed right through Hiei. 

"Well, that still doesn't answer how you can communicate with me."

"It's quite simple, really, simple enough for even you to understand. You see, every room aboard this vessel is linked directly to my control room. I can send a message to any room by simply opening a communication port. However, I decided to use a holographic media of sorts to have this conversation. If you would be so kind as to look out of your port window..."

Yugi, still keeping an eye on his twisted host, peered out of said porthole, only to see...

"Clouds. Hiei, where the hell are we?!"

"We are approximately 85,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. We will be reaching our dueling area in about twenty minutes."

Yugi was at a loss for words, then merged with the spirit in his puzzle.

Not surprised, Hiei greeted Yami with the utmost faux congeniality. 

"Ah, Pharaoh Yami, so we meet again."

"What do you mean by 'dueling area'"

"You didn't know? The Hellfire Tournament will be held on a floating city known as Duel Fortress. It should be coming in to plain view about now." 

Even as the demon spoke, Yami beheld a glorious city, hovering atop a huge white platform many miles above the earth. In the center of this city was a vast hill, upon which sat a heavily fortified tower. Forming a ring about this city was a barricade of hovercraft about two hundred strong. 

Yami turned back towards Hiei. "I assume this city has a name?" His voice was dripping with venom.

Hiei, in a voice that was equally as toxic, responded, "This, Pharaoh, is New Paradigm."

"New Paradigm? As in the original Paradigm City? I thought all the residents were slain."

"Almost correct. You see, it is nearly impossible to destroy these people because they do not exist!

"You see, only three people in that forsaken city were actually human. They were Alex Rosewater, Roger Smith, and Michael Seebach. Everyone else was either an android or simply an imprint upon that vast microchip, blissfully unaware that they were little more than memories. It was therefore easy for the catastrophe to wipe them of their inherent memories; their existence was so fragile that the battle that ravaged the city was enough to remove any trace of their non-existent past. Afterwards, they rebuilt their imaginary lives and continued on living a dream! That is, until _I _stepped in! Knowing that some form of power was hidden here, I murdered Rosewater in an attempt to summon it!"

"So it was _you_ that disrupted the alignment!" 

"That's correct, Yami! And it is in this hovering city that I shall lay claim to all that you have! Oh, one more thing, give this back to Wheeler."

Yami, hearing a clunk from above, turned to find...

"SERENITY!" 

Sure enough, Serenity Wheeler, comatose but alive, lay behind him.

"Hiei! What did you do to her?!"

With an insidious grin that froze Yami's blood, Hiei replied, "Don't you know, Your Majesty? Cookies need love..._like everything else._"

Yami suddenly realized what was going on, and as his fury grew, so did a shimmering Eye of Horus upon his forehead. And all of the hatred that he felt towards Hiei finally was released.

"DAMN YOU, HIEI, YOU SICK, TWISTED BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?! HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF?! WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?! HAVE YOU NO MORAL FIBER?

"KNOW THIS, HIEI! WE WILL DUEL AGAIN, AND WHEN WE DO, I'LL PUT AN END TO YOU AND YOUR WARPED PLANS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" 

Yami managed to calm down, yet still looked at Hiei with a look of hatred.

The hologram shut down, and Yami slumped onto the floor. 

The intercom blared into life, announcing that the ship would be landing soon.

_Damn you Hiei. I know you're in this_ _somehow, and when I find you, you will pay for your crimes._

New Paradigm HQ

"I see. So, the legendary Yugi Mouto is coming to New Paradigm. Well, we shall see how he fares."

A gangly man with gaudy clothing and gold hair reached for his cell phone.

"Stephan, this is Beck. Bring the limo around, please. We are going to the docks."

Well, it's longer than my other chapters, right?

Next time, the crew meets up in New Paradigm, where Yugi has his first duel of the Hellfire Tournament. Also, we figure out Botan and Kaiba's role in all this.

So long...for now. And Happy 2004! 


	13. Beck vs Yugi and the Fall of Kagome

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Alright, as you know, last chapter revealed that there might be Hiei might have a darker influence deep within him. Also, we find that the Hellfire Tournament is being held in a huge floating city known as New Paradigm, the remnants of the original Paradigm City. This is, of course, my own spin on the series after the final episode. 

Now, Yugi is about to enter his first duel of the tournament, Kaiba enters the tale, and we find why Inuyasha is helping Yugi in the first place.

You'll have to excuse me if this doesn't turn out well; I'm not exactly oozing inspired ideas. 

Chap. 12: Beck vs. Yugi 

_Attention duelists. The Des Volstgulph is about to land. You have all been given rooms in the New Paradigm Hotel, so report to the ballroom therein for further information as to keys and concierge service. Information associated with the tournament will be given in the Grand Plaza outside said hotel. That is all. _

Several hundred bay doors opened unto New Paradigm, and from these doors flowed the three thousand duelists that were deemed worthy to enter. Near said doors were huge transport vehicles with one common destination: the New Paradigm Hotel in the city center. 

As the duelists exited the loading area, Hiei looked on with cold malice at his small opposition. Each one had their Duel Gauntlet fully assimilated into their system.

"Excuse me, sir, but there is a Beck Gold here to see you."

"Perfect. Send him in."

Sighing, the dark lord took a seat at the head of his conference room. Working with Gold had been an extremely expensive commodity. Each time Gold was hired, the simpleton overcharged his services and challenged his superior's authority, and if he failed in his assigned mission, Beck would charge "damage costs" to gain more money. 

Not this time.

Beck stepped into the conference room with his usual pompous attitude...and the suit to match. 

"Good afternoon, Mr. Beck. As you can well imagine, the tournament will be officially starting soon, so let me get right to the point. I have a simple assignment for you: defeat Yugi Mouto in a duel and bring his Egyptian God Card and Millennium Puzzle directly to me!"

Almost immediately, Beck, in spite of the consequences related to such, began to laugh uncontrollably, slapping his feet together in a manner typical to him.

Already in a dangerous mood by his recent defeat, the incessant guffawing of his tawdry guest forced a query from Hiei. "Does something I say amuse you, Gold?"

"Sorry, boss. It's just...". Laughing again, Beck continued his response with an amused air. "Well, isn't kind of amusing that your asking _me_ to duel on your behalf? And against Yugi Mouto no less! What, are you too stupid or inept to duel him yourself?" 

Beck instantly knew that he had made a mistake the second those words left his mouth, but it was too late.

Incensed by his minion's brash words to an indescribable amount, Hiei leapt out of his seat and rammed Beck into a wall. Upon lifting him bodily and tossing him into a second partition, the demon loomed over and hissed into Beck's ear.

"Now listen to me, you incompetent fool. My powers are hundreds of times the strength of your own, so I am therefore in complete control, so be warned. I will not pay you until the task I have given is completed to the utmost extent, and if you were planning on abandoning this job, I am afraid I won't let you. You are going to duel Mouto, and you are going to defeat him; otherwise, you will die at my hands. _Do we understand each other?_" 

Shakily raising himself from the ground, Beck agreed to these grisly terms, and without a single word further, fled the room.

Once again collapsing into his seat, Hiei was about to relax before heading towards the hotel, when his head of security on the vessel entered.

"Let me guess, there has been a jail break in quadrant 3, cell 57. Also, the escapee was able to overpower the guards and exited the vessel with a Duel Gauntlet on her arm."

The agent, unaware of Hiei's Millennium Eye, was struck speechless. 

"No matter; I have a strong hunch as to where she is going. Keep all of our agents on high alert, and inform them as to the convict's appearance."

As the head exited, Hiei called to his personal assistant, "Tell my chauffeur to bring the car around. I have some business to attend to..."

Grand Plaza, outside New Paradigm Hotel

"So, this is the New Paradigm Hotel", said Yugi as he exited the transport vehicle. "Kind of a dump, isn't it?"

The hotel, unlike the other fresh, new buildings in New Paradigm, looked like it was over a hundred years old. The panes were broken in nearly every window, and the shutters were hanging off of their hinges. The entire place emitted a horrible stench reminiscent of a butcher shop whose contents had decomposed over many years. In other words, it was a complete disaster. 

Roger, of course, was not entirely disgusted by the old lodge. It was here, over five years ago, that he had garnered much of his information on his miscellaneous cases from one Big Ear. 

This building had supposedly had some significance for Alex Rosewater as well, as it was here that he was found, half-dead, by the few military police officers still loyal to him. 

Apparently, the building did not impress anyone else, for upon looking at the decrepit hotel, one of the duelists scoffed.

"Once again, it appears that Hiei didn't have the common sense to knock this thing down when he had the chance. He's even dumber than I thought, keeping this eyesore standing."

Such bitter, chilling words could only come from one man. 

Yugi, somewhat surprised by the older man's presence, turned to face him.

"Kaiba! What are you doing here?"

"The same as you, I would surmise. I'm here to stop Hiei."

"What does he have to do with this? I thought you were neutral on this one."

"I was, until that scum sent one of his pathetic lackeys to try to out-duel me for my Egyptian God Card and Millennium Item..."

At this, Kaiba pulled out his Millennium Rod, gained immediately after the Battle City Tournament. 

"I don't know what that bastard wants with the Items, but I have a feeling he's only after your Puzzle, so I would stay on your guard. I'd keep an eye on the half-demon too."

Inuyasha, who had been listening vaguely, responded sharply.

"What do you mean, Kaiba? And where do you get off calling me a half-demon?!"

"First of all, I can call you anything I want. Secondly, I know for a fact that he's after the sacred Shikon Jewel as well, though I'm not sure why, and since you have part of it on your person, odds are he'll come after you too. You saw what he did to Kagome; imagine what he'll do to you."

Joey, who had only known Inuyasha for about an hour, raised a query.

"Alright, who's this Kagome that Kaiba's talkin' about? And it's not just him, either; Inuyasha here kept mutterin' her name in his freakin' sleep! Could ya fill me in, Yug?"

"I have no idea who she is either."

"ENOUGH!", screamed Inuyasha, finally losing his temper after listening to the three talk. "I'll tell you all you need to know, but you have to promise me you will _never_ bring it up again."

Sitting upon a nearby bench, Inuyasha closed his eyes, took a small swig from the old hip flask he carried, and began.

"I remember that day all too well. It had been over a year since I had last seen Kagome, and thanks in part to a messenger from the outside world, I learned that her birthday would be in a week of that day. Praying that she would still remember me, I was about to jump into the portal when a black flame shot out of it. Knowing full well that only a certain kind of fire could pass through this rift, I entered the present time. What I saw will remain burned in my waking memory.

"The entire temple was alight in the same black flame that had passed through the well in my time. As far as I could see, no one within a hundred miles would, or could, do anything about it. The air was so thick with blood I nearly fainted dead away. This had been a massacre of immense proportions; about a quarter of the area's population were dead or dying, and the whole city was ablaze. And standing in the midst of this was that scumbag Hiei, wielding a vicious sword that smoldered with that same malevolent conflagration that scorched the city. Several feet away, with a spear in hand, was Kagome, drenched in blood, bearing wounds that none could survive. As soon as he saw me, the demon soared into the air and with one swift move, he delivered the final blow. I knew she had died the second she hit the ground. 

"But it was not over. I saw the slime search her corpse until he pulled out an ancient glass vial. Contained within were the shards of the Shikon Jewel. Without another word he left, leaving the dead for the buzzards...

"That heartless bastard doesn't deserve to live, and I'm not going to let him. For Kagome's sake, I won't let you down, Yugi!"

Joey, Roger, Kaiba, and Yusuke all swore similar oaths.

"I'll beat dat slimeball, Yug, you can count on it!"

"You have my word, too."

"All right, Yugi, I'll help you, but only to stop Hiei, nothing more."

"Let's take him down!"

Yugi changed into his Yami form, and addressed his comrades.

"Hiei can try all he wants, but combined we won't be stopped! His power feeds on fear and despair, and so long as we can prevent him from intimidating us, I know we can win, if we trust in ourselves and our decks!"

"How touching! It's a shame that such a powerful leader will fall in his first duel."

The group turned to face the jeering duelist, yet only Roger recognized him.

"It's been a long time, Beck, but not long enough."

The tawdry criminal turned on the ex-negotiator, and snapped, "Shut it, crow boy! My beef is with Mouto!"

Now turning towards Yami, Beck proclaimed his challenge. "Alright, hair boy, I challenge you to a duel, and if I win you get your first key for the tourney _and_ this Vampire Lord, my rarest card. But if you lose, that Puzzle and God Card of yours are mine!"

"Very well, I accept your challenge. Activate Duel Gauntlet system!"

Both Beck and Yami drew their hand, and the second their life points locked on 4000, the duel field system materialized where it would have been on the regular Duel Disk.

"LET'S DUEL!" (4000/4000)

Okay, I admit it wasn't that great, but at least it's a plot, right? So, next chapter, Beck and Yugi will commence their duel, Schwarzvald unveils his ruthless technique, and is Kagome really dead? Find out next time. And remember, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! 


	14. Yugi's Duel and Kagome Returns

Disclaimer: I do not own anything! CURSE THE LAWYERS!

Very well then. Last time, Inuyasha reveals his purposes for fighting Hiei. Also, Yugi was challenged to a duel by Beck.

In this chapter, Yugi begins his duel, Schwarzvald unveils his dark power, and Hiei reveals a new servant to do his bidding.

In order to understand parts of this chapter, you'll have to read the last one.

Note: The starting hand is six cards here.

Chap. 13: Yugi's Duel and Kagome returns

New Paradigm Park, Fountain Center

"Now, Dark Dust Spirit, attack the fool's life points directly and end this duel!"

The hideous mummified deity leapt out of the thick dust it had created, and brought its twin claws upon the opponent, a second-rate duelist known as Rex Raptor. His monsters had fallen, one by one, before the might of the Dark Dust Spirit and many other such monsters.

The holographic dust cleared, and Raptor looked in outright terror at his opponent, a heavily bandaged man with a filthy reporters get-up and an eye that revealed his deep-rooted insanity. Attached to his arm was a Duel Gauntlet and a miniature comlink system. 

Leering down at his ghastly opponent, Schwarzvald could not help but smile. This was the third duelist he had reduced to a blubbering mass, unable to even utter a single word as he robbed them of their rarest cards and key for the tournament. 

"You remember our deal. Surrender all of your cards and your key, and I might let you live." 

"No way, Seebach! You can't take all of my cards for one lousy duel! And I'm not giving you my key either! But you can have this!"

The "dinosaur duelist" reached into one of his pockets, where a small jackknife was safely hidden from view. _The second this freak_ _tries to get my cards, he'll have a little surprise in his chest! _

Yet before Rex could even pull out the deadly weapon, an even deadlier one was fired into his skull: a Colt .45 Magnum. 

Stepping away from the recently deceased duelist, Schwarzvald began rooting through his opponent's cards. _Gah! These are absolutely worthless!_

Scattering the cards onto Rex's corpse, the psychotic journalist extracted one of the precious keys from the gauntlet, and regarded his latest victim.

"Nobody pulls a knife on me and lives to tell of it, Raptor. Consider that on your way to Hell."

Suddenly, the comlink buzzed, indicating an incoming message from his superiors.

"Yes, Master Hiei?"

"Good afternoon, Schwarzvald. I am assuming the duel went well?"

"All went according to plan, my Lord. However, I would much prefer for my next duel to be somewhat of a challenge, so if you don't mind..."

"NO! Under no circumstances are you to engage Botan in any type of duel whatsoever! We cannot let her know we are on to her escape, or all will fall apart!"

"Understood, Hiei. Over and out."

The former reporter walked off, leaving the carcass for the scavengers...

Yugi vs. Beck

"Alright, Mouto, I'll make the first move!"

Looking at his hand, Beck could barely suppress a smile at his starting cards.

"Now I summon Geargolem the Moving Fortress in Attack Mode! And I'll also equip him with United we Stand, to increase his Attack power by 800 for each monster on the field!" The tank-like structure was surrounded by a bright light that represented United we Stand. (1600/2200) "I will also place 2 cards facedown and end my turn!"

Yami stared at this powerful monster with a level of dread. He knew that if Beck activated this card's special ability, it would be all over, especially if he powered it up any longer.

"Very well, I summon Kuriboh in defense mode! And then I will activate Emblem of Dragon Destroyer to add one Buster Blader to my hand, followed by 2 cards face down!"

"Is that the best you can do, Mouto? I activate Scapegoat, which will summon 4 Goat Tokens to increase my Fortress's Attack by 3200, to an enormous 4800!

Then, I shall pay 800 Life Points to attack you directly!"

"Not so fast, Beck! Activate Skill Drain!" Geargolem could not bypass the Kuriboh, and it's effect shut down.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY MACHINE?!"

"Skill Drain is an unusual Trap card, in that I can deactivate all monster effects as long as it's on the field. All I have to do is pay 1000 Life Points. But that's not all I activated! Reveal Collected Power!" The energy of United we Stand was transferred into Kuriboh, which could hardly withstand the new power. "It focuses all Equipment Cards onto any selected Monster. And I select my Kuriboh!"

"Gyahh! I end my turn!"

"Very well, then. First I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then I play the Heavy Storm Magic Card, which will clear the field of all Magic and Trap cards!" The mighty tempest tore down all of the magic and trap cards on the field. "Then I play Cost Down to reduce the Monster Level of all Monsters in my hand. Finally, I sacrifice my Kuriboh to call forth the Buster Blader!" In the place of the furball was a tall, imposing warrior with a huge sword. "But that isn't the end. I'll equip him with Big Bang Shot to increase his attack power by 400. Now, destroy his Goat Token!"

The mighty warrior brought his sword down upon the token, which was sliced directly in half before exploding in a hideous spray of blood. Then, a huge explosion tore the amount of Buster Blader's attack from Beck's life points, reducing them to a measly 1000. "I will end my turn by playing Dian Keto the Cure Master, which increases my Life points back to 4000." 

Beck drew his next card. "Perfect! I play Graceful Charity, which allows me to draw 3 cards at the price of any two from my hand!" Upon looking at the cards he kept, Beck could not help but laugh. "Ahahaha! Now, Mouto, prepare to experience a monster unlike any you have ever seen before! I summon the Lycanthropic Dragon in Attack Mode!" 

The dragon looked like it had been spawned from a nightmare world. It's entire body was covered in sickly green scales laced with a dark and powerful magic. Each of it's seven claws had a different symbol, all of which represented a different kind of evil. (1600/1200)

Yami could not help but stare at the hideous dragon with a level of horror and surprise. "Not a wise move, Beck. Your dragon will easily be destroyed by my superior monster, especially when Buster Blader powers up because of it!" (3500/2300) 

"Well, Mouto, you obviously do not know the other card I plan to use. Activate Megamorph!" As if by a divine force, the dragon grew to a monstrous size as the Druid pentagram doubled it's attack power. (3800/1200) "And since your warrior's Attack power is a mere 3500, I will easily wipe it out! Lycanthropic Dragon, use your Shriek of Madness to destroy the Buster Blader!"

As soon as the attack was called, the demonic dragon leapt forward and began screeching into the monster's ear, and the mighty swordsman collapsed. (3700/1000)

Yami's life points went down, but the Buster Blader was still writhing on the ground, uttering ear-splitting screams as the blood pooled around it. Suddenly, the monster stepped up, and walked over to Beck's side, sprouting huge black dragon's wings as it did so, the pinions of which empowered it to an insurmountable level. (4000/2300)

"What is going on, Beck?! I thought you said you destroyed my monster!"

"Oh, I did, Yugi. However, my dragon has a unique ability unlike any you have ever known! It allows me to possess any monster it destroys with a horrible madness that turns it into a powerful dragon in addition to any other type it originally was! And thanks to your monster's ability, it gains an extra 500 for its becoming a dragon! I can't be stopped, so I will end my turn! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

_He's right, unless I draw my Swords of Revealing Light_ _on my next turn, I'm finished. _

*Yugi, all we have to do is believe in the cards in our deck, and we can't be beaten. This Beck may have the upper hand, but every card, and duelist, has a weakness. All we have to do is have faith, and this idiot won't stand a chance!*

You're right, Yami. Let's finish this now.

Yugi drew the card that would make or break him...

Hidden fortress, backwaters of New Paradigm

"Well, has she gained her sight back?"

_ "_Not yet, master Hiei. Whatever that "Darkness Flame" of yours was, it certainly did a number on her. It's a wonder she wasn't killed."

"I couldn't have killed her even if I wanted to, you simpleton. She _is, _after all, the reincarnation of a priestess. I have also heard rumors that she might have some kind of connection to King Yami. I will _not_, however, be deterred by this. I will find out where the final shard of that damn jewel is on that dog demon if I have to rip it out of her. Now, if you would excuse me..."

The servant, hidden in shadows, stepped away.

"Well, how the mighty have fallen. From being a high ranking priestess of Egypt, to a warring one in feudal Japan, to a pathetic and blinded high school student at the mercy of that which she swore she would defeat. How ironic. Well, it does not matter if you are linked to my ultimate opponent in any way. Your will shall crack like glass under my supervision."

Hiei stepped out of the prison chamber, taking one last look upon his captive. "Sweet dreams, Kagome, for your waking moments will be anything but."

Ok, it's official. I am obsessed with cliffhangers. And I also am not sure about how anyone will take the chapter, but I happen to like it. Well, we'll find out soon.

Okay, next time, Kaiba will begin his first duel, followed by Yusuke. Also, Yami's next draw will decide the fate of the duel. But what is Kagome's link to the 5,000 year old Pharaoh. Note: Most of my fics of the past will be slightly AU.

Review soon, and sorry for the lack of updates. 


	15. New Betrayal, Ancient Might

Disclaimer: I own nothing you see here!

Last time, Yugi had begun his duel with Beck, which had taken a turn for the worst. It is also revealed that Kagome is indeed alive, but what is her connection to Pharaoh Yami?

In this chapter, Kaiba duels for the life of one of Hiei's chief opponents, Yugi continues the fight against Beck, and the dark power I mentioned earlier will take on a greater precedence.

Here is another card from The Helldragon:

Vatradan of the Order

Attribute: Light\  
Type: Warrior  
Level: 8  
ATK: 2700\  
DEF: 2100\  
Effect: Whenever Vatradan of the Order is Normal Summoned on the field, you may place two Enforcer tokens (Light/Warrior/4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 10) into play. You may also sacrifice one of these tokens in order to increase your Life Points by 800. This ability may be activated only once per turn, and not on the turn you summon Vatradan of the Order.  


Chapter 14: New Betrayal, Ancient Might

An alleyway, slums of New Paradigm 

To an outside observer, the huge city of New Paradigm could well be described as a heaven within the boundaries of the mortal world, separate and isolated from the melancholy reality that presided below. The air is often permeated with the fragrance of a sweet flower blossoming into new life, a fitting heady scent for the utopia that gives it off. Besides the decrepit hotel, below which is a decaying tavern known as the Speakeasy, all of the buildings are pristine and glorious, glowing with an omnipresent shimmer of grandeur. Every one of the high rise constructions are polished to perfection, food is never out of stock, the water is pure and clear, and the people that live within it, be they the affluent or a pauper that could barely scrape a living in the real world, never go hungry or pay taxes or bills. 

Yet the innocent populace of New Paradigm, happy and complacent in their way of life, had no comprehension of the war that was occurring beneath their very feet: the war for the Millennium Items and the Shikon Jewel. Unbeknownst even to the fighters in this battle, however, was that the two were inter-related. 

This factor was the last thing on the mind of Seto Kaiba.

The high ranked duelist could not help but feel out of place in this hideous monstrosity of a city, as he was one of the few people there that was not wearing white. Clothed in a jet black trench coat with the sunglasses and pants to match, the only varying articles of clothing he had on were brown dress shoes and a forest green shirt, upon which was adorned a silver dragon with cold blue eyes. Mounted upon his wrist was a pure white Duel Gauntlet, a symbol of the highest ranked duelists.

Kaiba stepped into the alley, a stark contrast to the city around him. Loaded with the rank waste products that one would not expect in a utopia like New Paradigm, the entire place reeked with a foul odor that cannot be described. Graffiti of many languages, with English being the foremost among them, lined the decomposing brick walls. Yet what was most disturbing was the type of people that dwelled here. Drug dealers, con artists, and outright thugs were swarming about the place like locusts. Scuffles of various kinds were taking place every minute, and Kaiba was sure he heard a gunshot somewhere in the passage.

_So, this is where the lowest of the low dwell in New Paradigm. From the looks of things, New Paradigm is not quite as delightful_ _as the rulers want me to believe._

Turning towards the most decent looking bum, Kaiba asked "Excuse me, but do you know where the Underground Square might be?"

As expected, the waif did not respond too well to this query, as he began to shake in horror and fear.

"Is there a problem?"

"_No sir! Not at all!_", screamed the man, who, by this point, was on the ground, kissing Kaiba's feet with the utmost servility. Whoever this man was, the name of the ill-reputed area of town was frightening him beyond belief. 

_It seems I will have to take...extreme measures._

Reaching into his coat pocket, Kaiba extracted a very powerful tool that very few knew he possessed. It had been given him at the end of the Battle City tournament, and had served him well in extracting information out of unreliable clients. On occasion, the item had also gotten him out of some tough situations, as it had a double purpose of an edged weapon.

Of course, he did not use the Millennium Rod on his opponents without good reason; it was not his way of closing a deal. However, this particular case was so afraid of Kaiba and his destination that he was absolutely inconsolable. Calling upon the Item and it's ancient power, he began to look into his mind.

Very little information was there; the poor fool had obviously lacked any decent education. But from the information he could garner, the Underground Square was several yards into the alley, hidden from view by mounds of steel plating. It was reputed for being an area for gang wars. Turning towards the area, Kaiba could not help but feel a certain level of fear himself. As this was not generally an emotion he felt that often, he began to question the feasibility of the plan.

_Judging from that loser's reaction to my mention of the area, the Underground Square is not very well known, but it is feared by most of the people here. I'm not even sure WHY I'm here in the first place, let alone actually going through with the plan at hand. The only reason I'm here is because of that dream. Hell, I don't even believe in that kind of garbage, and I'm obeying the commands of a spectral figure. _

With these thoughts in mind, Kaiba continued moving towards the area that his dream had led him to. Just as he was about to enter the Square, however, a loud scream rent the air. 

Kaiba ran towards the scream's source as quick as lightning. Considering the fact that nearly every crime in the godforsaken city was linked to Hiei in some way, he knew that this might be a hired attack. _But the question is, who? _Despite these thoughts, Kaiba continued to turn the corner...and his eyes met with a horrible sight.

Lying in a pool of her own blood was a young woman; from the looks of her, she was in her late teen years, yet bore the scars of a war veteran. Her genetics were apparently unique in the fact that her hair color was an unnatural shade of azure, accented by the black jumper she wore. Kaiba could not help but stare at this mystery woman and the pure white Duel Gauntlet attached to her arm. It was immediately obvious she was an insanely powerful duelist, but what little else he could figure out was lost in the events of what happened next. 

Without much warning, a silent masked figure, dressed in a steel gray assassin's shawl and mask, leapt out of the shadows with a cudgel cast out of solid bronze and five daggers. Mounted upon one arm was an off-white duel gauntlet. Whoever he was, his Duel Monsters skills were routine at best, but his skill in wielding a truncheon was obviously advanced. _I have to do something!_

"HANDS OFF, SCUMBAG!"

The would-be murderer turned to face him with no readily obvious surprise. As Kaiba had expected, the whole thing was a set-up. "Before you decide to add another offense to your exceedingly high list, tell me this: what exactly are you doing?"

"Stay out of this, Kaiba. This is work for a much higher power than your own."

"I see. Well, let's make this interesting. I challenge you to a duel, and if I win, the girl comes with me, and I get your rarest card and key. If you win, you get my Obelisk the Tormentor and my only key, as well as the Millennium Rod, but the girl still gets out. Do we have a deal?"

"Very well, then. Master Hiei will be most pleased, but _you _have set yourself up for a fall."

Both duelists set themselves up for the match.

_You'll regret your challenge, Kaiba. No one beats Kazuma Kuwabara in a duel!_

Yugi's Duel

Yami drew his card...and it was just the one he needed.

"Perfect! I play the Swords of Revealing Light! This Magic card will unveil any face down monster cards you have in play, but that doesn't matter! What does matter is that it freezes you behind the mighty swords for three turns, preventing any of your monsters from attacking!" 

As if from an act of God, the sky above the arena began to glow with a powerful luminosity that bathed the field in it's holy radiance. This shine of the powers above gave calm and peace to Yami, for his life points were safe. As for the demonic dragon and the possessed swordsman, this light caused them to collapse to the ground, bellowing their macabre cries to any with the willpower to listen. These sacrilegious yells were only the beginning, for thousands of the holy broadswords rained down from the heavens, binding the opponent for three turns.

This turn of event's sent Joey and Yusuke into a state of excitement. 

"YEAH! That's my man, Yug! Take that piece of shit down!"

"Go Yugi! Take it to 'em!"

Beck, on the other hand, was not pleased.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?! THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULD HAVE DRAWN THAT CARD IN ONE DAMN DRAW! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!"

"It's quite simple, Beck. I know that you stacked your deck in your favor to win this duel, and I also know that your plan can only succeed if your Lycanthropic Dragon can attack to build up a force of monsters to destroy me. But there is one factor you didn't take into account: I can draw any card in my deck at any time of the duel, because I have faith in the deck I built, unlike you, who would stoop so low as to rig your deck to stop me. But know this, you piece of scum...I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Yami then placed one card face down to end the turn. "Your move, Beck."

The notorious criminal drew his card. _Perfect! The Vampire Lord is just the thing I needed. What Mouto doesn't yet understand is that so long as I control what I draw, I can't be stopped. And if memory serves, the next card I draw will be a Mystical Space Typhoon, which will easily remove his damn Swords from the field. And once they are out of the way, he'll have nothing stopping me from defeating him. Ah, what is this?_

"My move, Yugi. I play the Magic card, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards from my deck. And now, Mouto, prepare to witness the instrument of your final defeat. Behold, the glory of my rarest card, the dreaded Vampire Lord! But in order to summon it, I must sacrifice another monster, so I will offer up my Geargolem the Moving Fortress to call upon him! Emerge, my dark advocate! BWAHAHAHA!" The life energy of the fortress was drained into the earth by an unknown force, and the sky, once bright and glorious with the light of the divine swords, was clouded as a cruel presence began to assimilate itself onto the field.

_Something's not right here. It seems that the dark power of this "Vampire Lord" is overwhelming the field. It's almost like Beck called upon something wicked, something...evil. Like an ancient demon or something. But what is really odd is that the creature hasn't appeared yet..._

"BECK! Is this some kind of twisted joke?! You made an enormous deal about this "unstoppable" Vampire Lord, but as far as I can tell, he has yet to arrive! I don't know what kind of a man you are, but I expect this duel to be fought with honor and justice! Now tell me, _what's going on?!_"

"You will see soon enough, little Yugi! Ah, the dark one arrives!"

The ground beneath the dueling field had begun to crack and rise, as though something was erupting from it. And erupt it did, for without warning, a massive coffin burst out of the earth. Carven out of a black stone and inscribed with an indescernible language, it was a fearsome sight to behold. "My monster has been sealed for over four hundred years, cursed to a half-life by the ones that sealed him for his grisly crimes against the people of Romania. Yet this curse had an amazing after-affect. In exchange for his soul and mortality, my Vampire Lord has gained eternal life and incomprehensible power! Emerge, my great demon, and show your awesome power!"

The coffin lid fell away, revealing an embalmed body that had been entombed for centuries. Yet as the power of the sacrificed monster was absorbed into it's system, the mummy began to squirm in it's wrappings and mumble a hideous language that none could understand. The monstrosity began to claw out of the wrappings, throatily singing an evil tune, calling upon an ancient evil. Suddenly, it tore asunder the dry bandages to reveal it's true from: a ghastly zombie, pale and gaunt with stringy haired bleached by the years of entombment, wearing pitch black armor and bearing huge black pinions that entailed a great cruelty. (2000/1400)

"So, this is your Vampire Lord. It is certainly a weak monster for it's tribute level. What kind of stunt is this, Beck?"

"You'll soon find out, Yugi. But first, I must remove the Swords of Revealing Light that prevent me from attacking, so I will play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy them!" The Swords were shattered in a swirling vortex of power. "Now, my beasts, attack his life points directly and end this duel!"

The Buster Blader, Lycanthropic Dragon, and Vampire Lord charged forward, and were just about to finish Yami off when something went wrong. A crystalline sheet of unequaled iridescence leapt up in front of them, and the monsters themselves burst into flames upon impact, and were hurled backwards before shattering into pieces. Beck could only look on in horror as his monsters were destroyed.

"Once again, you fall victim to a trap, in this case, a Mirror Force. It reflects the attack of any monster back against them, stopping the attack and wiping out all Attack Mode monsters on your side of the field. And unless you have a Monster Reborn card in your hand, your monsters won't be coming back."

Beck, who had just watched his attack force annihilated, began to chuckle. This became a full-fledged laugh, as he began to cackle insanely.

"Almost correct, Yugi. But you forgot my Vampire Lord. You see, Mouto, every time it is destroyed by a monster, magic, or trap, it is not gone forever. _It keeps coming back! _Nothing can stop it, or me! BWAHAHAHA!"

Just as Beck predicted, the vampire arose once more from the grave. It had a look of pure hatred in it's dead eyes.

_Great. Now I'm facing a monster that can't be destroyed by any of my monsters. Even if I do find something powerful enough to defeat it, it will keep returning to the field._

What am I going to do?

Hiei's fortress

_Most people do not appreciate the darkness. They believe that it is a thing of sin and malevolence, something to fear and despise as long as they live. I however, embrace the dark with open arms. I hold it to me, use it to my ultimate advantage, and control it, whether it be in the form of a dark jewel, or a primordial_ _totem with the power to read minds and control them as well. By my hand, everyone else in this world will embrace the darkness...or they will die._

Such thoughts passed through the mind of one Hiei Jagenshi, controller of darkness and master of evil. 

_I know not why Mouto and his counterparts stand against me and all that I stand for, nor do I know why that Botan supported that bastard Koenma. Do they not see that my powers are the_ _most prevailing in this battle? No matter. Even with that blundering imbecile Kuwabara on my side, I cannot lose, nor will I be defeated._

As Hiei exited his chambers, a vindictive presence began to strangle him, as an even crueler voice began to speak to him. It was this voice that had haunted him ever since he gained the Millennium Eye.

_Give it up, Hiei. You know as well as I do that my presence grows stronger with each passing day as I feed off of your hatred. My powers exceeded yours even before you were born, so I WILL regain control. _

Black, tentacle-like growths began to entrance and entomb Hiei, who was rendered unable to speak, as the darkness he was obsessed with began to kill him. Visions of his earlier years passed by him, years where he was persecuted and excommunicated for his deformity.

_I know you can hear me. I know you have been able to hear my voice for over a year, since that Shadi buffoon gave you the Eye. And I know that you cannot destroy me. For you see..._

The darkness flowed into the demon's throat, burning his very soul, as the dark power he controlled turned against him.

..._You may be evil, but I AM THE DARKNESS WITHIN!_

And the torture ceased, Hiei not remembering a thing.

To be continued...

Sorry it took so long to update. CURSE YOU, FINALS!

Alright, next time, Yami finishes the duel and finds out a little-known secret. Also, Kaiba starts up his duel, but is he about to fall for the person he is rescuing? We also discover why Hiei is against Botan.

Until then, READ, REVIEW, AND DO NOT FLAME! 


	16. The Coming of Mirage Knight

Disclaimer: Believe me, if I owned the stuff I write about, I'd be a millionaire.

Last time, Kaiba began his duel with one of Hiei's operatives, none other than Kazuma Kuwabara himself. Also, Yami was faced with an insurmountable challenge: the defeat of Beck's Vampire Lord. Meanwhile, Hiei has been grappling with the ever-growing evil beginning to emerge within him. 

In this chapter, Yami continues the fight against Beck, Kaiba begins his duel, and we figure out what part Kagome plays in all this.

And please bear with me on card inaccuracies.

Chapter 15: Shadows of the Damned

Kaiba vs. Kuwabara

"I'll make the first move, Kaiba." Kuwabara drew his first card. "Perfect. I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!" A tall, ironclad warrior with a huge blade attached to its arm assimilated itself into reality, deep crimson eyes burning with hatred towards Seto Kaiba. (1800/1600) "But that's not all; I'll also equip my beast with the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade Magic card, boosting my monsters attack strength to 2600! And thanks to my Magic's ability, it can't be destroyed by Gearfried's effect! I will also place two cards facedown. Your move." 

"Very well. I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in Attack mode!" A huge, cruel jinn formed itself out of the smoke from which it came. (1800/1000) "I will also play the Magic card, Reload, which allows me to shuffle my hand into my deck, and draw the same number of cards. Finally, I will place three cards facedown, and end my turn."

_Kaiba played that weak monster in Attack Mode, so one of those facedown cards must be a trap. But I have just the card for that._

"I activate my two facedown cards, Pot of Greed and Jar of Greed, allowing me to draw three cards from my deck! Next, I'll play the Magic Card, Reasoning! This allows you to call any monster level, while I pick up cards until I draw a monster. If you call it right, every card I picked is discarded. But if you get it wrong, it is summoned to the field!"

"I call monster level 7."

Kuwabara began to pick up his cards, until...

"AHA! I summon Freed the Matchless General in Attack mode! Since it's a five star monster, it is automatically summoned thanks to my Reasoning card!" The general stood a full seven feet tall and clad in silver armor, yet he bore only a small sword as a weapon. (2300/1700) "Finally, I will play Heavy Storm, to clear the field of all trap and magic cards!" Yet as this enormous tempest began to form, something went wrong. The wind was dragged away by a thick, purple fog, which began to materialize into a jackal's head.

"WHAT?! KAIBA, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"You triggered my Trap, you moron. I activated Judgment of Anubis Counter Trap, which negates and destroys anything that results in the destruction of a Magic card. But that's only the beginning. It also gives me the option of destroying one monster on your side of the field, whose attack power will be subtracted from your life points. And I select your Iron Knight! Judgment of Anubis, destroy his monster!"

The smoke head began to absorb the energy of the Heavy Storm into a ball of dark energy. This energy began to glow with an incomprehensible power...until it was released in an assault on Kuwabara's Gearfried. The energy consumed the knight until it exploded, taking a huge chunk of Kuwabara's life points and hurling him into a wall as it did so. (4000/1400)

"All right, Kaiba, that's it! I play one card face down, and summon Strike Ninja in Defense mode!" The ninja appeared onto the field, dressed in pitch black garb with a small face mask as well. (1600/1200) "Go ahead and try to attack me all you want! Nothing you have in your entire deck can stop the card I played!" 

Kaiba looked at his current hand with some worry. _Alright, the imbecile is down to his last 1400 life points, but he doesn't seem too worried about it. And judging from his monster choice, he's going to keep summoning warriors using his General's effect. I don't have any Dark Monsters to use with my Crush Card, but even if I did, he might have some kind of counter to stop me from using it! Unless I can draw Shrink in this draw... But what if he WANTS me to use my Crush Card, like Ishizu back in Battle City?!_

*Believe me, Kaiba, Kuwabara isn't nearly smart enough to try something like that. And don't worry about his face down card, I know for a fact he doesn't have any counter traps.* 

Kaiba tuned out the duel, and turned towards whoever was speaking in his mind. As it turns out, it was the girl he was trying to rescue.

*_I suppose I should give some kind of explanation. You see, I can channel my spirit into something of an astral projection and communicate telepathically with any one capable of understanding. And thanks to your Millennium Rod, I can speak to you as easily as I could in reality.*_

Really. But at this point, I have to wonder who you are, and more importantly, what you have to do with Hiei.

*I'm afraid I can't tell you very much here. Knowing Hiei, he probably has at least one of his agents tapped into our conversation. For now, you may call me Botan.*

Botan, eh? I suppose you were the one that Hiei's looking for, but don't worry, if this nimrod is as bad a duelist as you say he is, this won't last long. I can get you out of here, but I'm afraid I'll need some information from you afterwards.

*Deal. But what's important is that you beat Kuwabara. He may be thick, but he has been known to beat an opponent using extremely powerful monsters, so it would be wise to end this as soon as possible.*

Very well, then. Kaiba returned to reality and drew his next card. _PERFECT! The Shrink Magic Card! _"I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

"AHAHAHA! You should have attacked me when you had the chance, Kaiba! Now you'll pay the price! Reveal facedown card Skull Invitation!" A huge, dark entity established it's position on the field. "This Trap inflicts 300 life points direct damage each time a card is destroyed, depending on who owns it! But that's not all; I summon Goblin Attack Force in attack mode, and activate the Field Magic card, Gaia Power, giving all Earth monsters on the field a 500 point boost." The heavily fortified orc strike unit and the general had their power boosted by the gargantuan forest area around them. (2800/1700) (2800/0).

Kaiba, however, was not impressed. "You walked right into my trap, Kuwabara. Activate Shrink! This Magic card cuts the attack power of my La Jinn in half!" The mighty genie greatly decreased in size, down to the stature of a lawn gnome, and it's attack suffered for it. (900/1000) "Yet my move isn't done yet. Activate Crush Card! Since my La Jinn has less than 1000 attack points, he can harbor this plague. And now I'll sacrifice him to destroy every monster in your deck, hand, and field with over 1500 attack points! And thanks to your Skull Invitation, you lose 300 life points for every monster! THIS DUEL IS OVER!"

The demon of Skull Invitation tore away what remained of Kuwabara's life points, causing him to collapse to the ground. (4000/0)

"Well, now that the duel is over with, it's time to fulfill your part of the deal." Kaiba reached into Kuwabara's Duel Gauntlet sleeve and extracted the key from it, followed immediately by a quick search for his rarest card; in this case, it was Vatradan of the Order. Turning away from the duelist, Kaiba strode out of the alleyway, carrying the unconscious Botan in his arms.

Yugi vs. Beck

Yami could not help but despair as he looked at the current situation at hand. As long as Beck's Vampire Lord was in play, he could not get through to a direct attack, since it returned to the field each time it was destroyed. There was also to be taken into account the lack of defense he had to work with: all he had was his Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts. 

"I'll play this monster in face down defense mode, and play one card face down. That will end my turn."

Beck drew his card, and it was just the card he needed.

"Perfect! I equip my Vampire Lord with the Axe of Despair and Fairy Meteor Crush, to increase his attack strength by 1000 points _and_ give him the ability to inflict damage to your defense monsters as if they were in attack mode!" A huge axe appeared in the vampire's grisly hands, a hideous skull feeding power into it as it leered at the zombie. (3000/1200) At the same time, the creature was greatly empowered by the strength of the Meteor Crush, as it's very being began to glow in a mystical blue shade, while the hands holding the axe converted into fireballs of incomprehensible power. "Vampire Lord, attack his defense monster with Nosferatu Axe Slam!" The undead lord soared into the air, and almost immediately roared back down, using this velocity to bring the axe it held onto Yami's monster, shattering it instantly, while a bolt of light from the Fairy Meteor Crush burned away the difference between the attack and defense points of the monsters. (1900/1000)

Unable to stand any longer, Yami fell to his knees in horror of the grim reality of the duel. _What am I going to do? Thanks to his monster and the equip cards he used on it, I don't have anything that can stop him. Unless..._

Beck, already grinning due to his advantage, began to chuckle in glee as he remembered his monster's other effect. "I'm sorry, Yugi, but I nearly forgot. Thanks to my Fairy Meteor Crush equip card, I inflicted damage onto your life points, therein activating my Vampire Lord's other special ability. Since you lost life points, I am now allowed to destroy one card in your deck. And what better card to remove than your prized Egyptian God Card, Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

_No, this can't be happening! I'm already down to my last 1900 life points, and that Vampire Lord is nearly indestructible. And thanks to his Fairy Meteor Crush, he could end the duel in the next two turns! What will happen to me without Slifer in my deck? But worst of all, what if Hiei gains the Millennium Puzzle? I can't let Beck win, but how can I stop him?_

THAT'S IT! 

"Alright, Beck! It's my move!" Yami drew his card, and it was the very one he needed. "I summon the Magical Scientist in defense mode!" A very unusual monster appeared: a scrawny, unshaven scientist in a grungy lab coat, surrounded by a huge laboratory. Upon his neck was a strange, garnet pendant. (100/100)

"AHAHAHA! Is that pathetic excuse for a monster supposed to intimidate me? It's attack power is miniscule, to say the least! What makes you believe that it can stop my all-powerful Vampire Lord, when even your strongest trap card couldn't? This duel is done!"

"Actually, Beck, you forgot that my Magical Scientist still has an unusual special ability as well! Magical Scientist, Fusion Synthesis!"

The supernatural geneticist began typing commands into his mainframe computer, as one of the holding chambers containing liquified DNA swirled into a vaguely humanoid form. "You see, Beck, in exchange for 1000 life points, I can Special Summon any Fusion monster in my fusion deck with six stars or under. However, there are two catches: the chosen monster cannot attack your life points directly, and it returns to the fusion deck at the end of the turn in which the effect is used . And I choose to summon the Black Flare Knight!" The holding chamber, now glowing a pale blue from the genetic manipulation, shattered to reveal a tall, imposing knight clad in deep purple armor, a flowing cape, and a bright orange crest. (2200/800)

Beck stared at the weak fusion monster before him, and began laughing uncontrollably. "Is this your idea of a joke? My Vampire Lord will easily destroy that pathetic excuse for a warrior! This duel is over!"

"Not quite. Black Flare Knight, attack the Vampire Lord!"

The mysterious soldier jumped forward to impale the fiend, but Beck got the first move, as the Vampire Lord cut through the helm before he got close enough to attack. "I told you, Mouto, your pathetic monster could not defeat my great beast! _Wait! Why aren't your life points dropping?!_" Sure enough, Yami was completely unphased, as was his life points. Yet something else was happening as well, for the Black Flare Knight was glowing a bright white, and his armor was converting into a gold plate armor, while his sword converted into a massive scythe.

Yami, whose face had thus far been a terrified mess, now bore the trademark smirk that had spelled doom for many duelists.

"I knew that my Black Flare Knight would not survive a head-to-head conflict with your Vampire Lord, nor did I intend it to. You see, one part of the Black Flare Knight's effects is that any damage from his destruction. However, there is another, more powerful effect, if my Knight is destroyed as a result of battle, another monster takes it's place: the Mirage Knight!"

The powerful monster stood upon the field in all of it's glory. (2800/2000)

"_No! That monster was supposed to be a legend! I'm finished!"_

"Then you must know it's special ability. Each time it attacks a monster, than monster's original attack is added to it of the Knight." The Vampire Lord could only watch in horror as it's ghastly image was reflected in the Knight's golden armor. (4800/2000) "Mirage Knight, destroy his Vampire Lord with Holy Scythe and end this duel!" 

The mighty scythe began to glow a blinding gold, as a chorus of angels could be heard empowering it. The Vampire Lord, clutching it's head in terror of the judgement of God, could only watch as the Knight beheaded it and wiped away Beck's last few life points. (900/0)

"YEAH! I KNEW HE COULD DO IT!"

Amidst cheers from the onlooking crowd, Yami walked over to the fallen Beck, who was shaking in horror as though he had been condemned to death. Yami looked on for a few seconds, then removed Beck's only tournament key and his Vampire Lord. "You won't be needing these anymore." Yet as Yami walked back to the crowd, something triggered a reaction, as though an all too familiar presence was bearing down on them.

Suddenly, Beck began screaming. And not just regular screams; these were bone-chilling, blood-curdling screams that were normally only heard from those who were sentenced to eternal damnation. 

"NO, PLEASE HAVE MERCY, MY LORD! I TRIED...my...best..._Gyahhh!"_

As Beck uttered his final, chilling scream, Beck collapsed onto the ground, dead. Only to be replaced by a much darker presence...

"Hiei."

The Dark Lord stared with contempt at the corpse of the archcriminal, then turned towards Yami. "I must admit, I am impressed. Very few, if any, could ever have defeated Beck in the position he had you in; for you to have defeated his Vampire Lord with the amount of life points you had, however, is a petty statistic compared to the horrors that await you in the finals, and that's assuming you even make it that far."

"HIEI, YOU BASTARD!"

Hiei turned towards the furious Inuyasha with a look of cold amusement in his dark eyes. "Ah yes. The legendary Inuyasha; I had a feeling I would be seeing you in this tournament. And judging from your deck, I'd say you have become an extremely skilled duelist, despite your despicable ningen sympathies..."

"After what you did to Kagome, I should kill you right now!"

"Inuyasha, calm down! There's no way any of us could attack him. All this is is an illusion meant to hide the real Hiei."

"The Pharaoh is correct. However, even if I was here, you wouldn't want to kill me any way. You see, if either you or Yami attempts to remove me from the picture, both the old bag Sugoruko and Hiragushi will die as well!" 

"You mean...?"

"Yes, half-demon, Kagome is still very much alive, and it is lucky that my plan still requires her to be alive. You see, if you surrender to my the final shard of the sacred Shikon Jewel, I will return her, relatively unharmed, to you. As for your grandfather, Yami, you can have him back if you can beat me in a duel!"

Suddenly, Yami's forehead began to show the Eye of Horus, shimmering in a dark red light. "Listen to me, Hiei! You will surrender all of those you have captured, or I will destroy you! What gives you the right to tamper with the minds of our friends and loved ones?"

Hiei took on a livid expression. "_Right? You dare speak to me of right?!_ Do you seem to forget that I have the power of mental destruction at my disposal? You do not seem to understand this, but my power exceeds far beyond those of all of you pathetic buffoons combined! Go ahead, try and destroy me, Pharaoh, but you will regret it! AHAHAHA!"

Hiei vanished, leaving the two warriors with their thoughts.

_Don't worry, Grandpa. I'm coming for you. You and Kagome..._

Well, it's not the best chapter, but I had quite a bit of work this week.

Okay, next time, Yusuke has his first duel, Kaiba gains information relating to Hiei via Botan (who is a traitor against the Dark Lord Hiei, details next chap), and Yami begins to realize information about his link to the Priestess Kikyo, through the most unlikely of sources.

Remember: Read, review, and don't flame. I'll update when I can. 


	17. Fates Intertwined

Disclaimer: Nothing you see belongs to me.

In the last chapter, Yami finally defeated Beck's Vampire Lord and gained his first tournament key. Kaiba also rescued Botan, now revealed as one of Hiei's prime targets. 

This chapter reveals that the relationship between Pharaoh Yami and Priestess Kikyo might run deeper than previously thought, while Botan reveals new information as to Hiei and his abilities.

Here is yet another custom card, this time from SoulofSaturn, and a pretty cool idea:

Name:Magician Girl of Light  
Attribute:Light  
Type:Spellcaster  
Level:7  
ATK:2500  
DEF:2100  
Effect: Whenever this card is played it reduces all Dark monsters ATK and DEF by 200 and it also adds 600 ATK points to all light monsters on the field.

Chapter 16: Fates Intertwined

Hidden interrogation room

"Rise and shine, woman."

Kagome's eyes, bleary from the month of Shadow-inflicted blindness, could hardly focus in the best light, let alone the glaring luminosity of the lamp in her exhausted orbs. The only thing she could determine was that her captor was a tall, intimidating figure with white hair and an unusually shaped pendant: a triangle with an eye set into it, surrounded by a golden ring, which was ornamented with five dangling spikes. "Excellent. It's about time you're up. My superior has been waiting to see you." Fearing for her life, or what remained of it, Kagome struggled against the bonds of energy that the warden had set up.

"Relax, no feat of strength you can muster will be enough to break the Chain Energy I have set up to bind you. Besides, what Master Hiei has assembled for you will require all of your strength, so I would conserve it."

Yami Bakura's insane brown eyes focused on the black panel of glass behind him. "You see, the Dark Lord can easily observe us, for as I don't doubt, you have determined that he and Schwarzvald are behind the one way glass. Now, if you direct your eyes to the said pane..."

A set of golden scales with the sign of Amun-Ra atop them began to appear in the window. "These, my dear, are the Millennium Scales, and I would be wary of them. Master Hiei has used these as an effective detector for treason, and if you would care to see a more first-person experience, I would be happy to oblige.

"You see, the Scales were originally designed to weigh the integrity of the victim's soul, and reward or punish them in correlation to this. Hiei, however, has converted it so that the Scales will destroy any who lies directly to anyone who asks them a question. As you can possibly imagine, this is something of a precarious situation, so it is in your best interest to give us the information we desire. Let's start with the Shikon no Tama..."

New Paradigm Hotel, Suite 32

_I don't understand! I know that this image has some kind of significance, but even with my new-found memories, I still can't decipher it!_

Not for the first time, Yami no Yugi, former ruler of Egypt, was puzzling over a cryptic depiction in the highest parts of his soul room. The picture itself had long since lost it's coloration, but the engraved images was the obvious work of a master artist. Yami had first discovered this puzzling device when he was first reawakened by Yugi, but he had not been able to determine it's meaning or it's hieroglyphic text. Even after he was able to read the ancient Sanskrit, the text was completely befuddling, as though he could understand the words, but not the greater message. 

"Yami? Are you all right?"

The all-powerful Pharaoh turned towards the speaker, his younger counterpart, Yugi. He had been so preoccupied with attempting to comprehend the pictographs before him that he had not heard his light climb the stairs to this area. 

"I'm fine. At this point, the only problem is that I can't seem to translate or even understand this mural. It may just be a coincidence, but I have a feeling that this picture might hold a clue to defeating Hiei." Once again, Yami turned towards the mural, and began to reflect on the events that led him here.

It had only been a day or so since Yami had first met the infamous demon, so it is to be expected that he would remember the grotesque tattoo the latter had borne in that Shadow Game. And despite it's atrocious symbolism, Yami had remembered one line from the scroll that was near the center: _The destiny of the universe lies in the secrets of the defender. _Yami, who had long since been able to unlock the Millennium Puzzle's other secrets, could not determine anything related to Hiei or the power he sought. The picture did not help either, as the details of only two figures and a vague background was visible. 

_I know that the scroll has something to do with the Millennium Puzzle and this depiction, but unless I can translate it, the information is absolutely useless! And I know I can't destroy Hiei in a Shadow Game; his Jagen-enhanced Millennium Eye gives him all of the safety he will ever need! How can I translate this; WHAT DOES IT MEAN?_

The past ruler of ancient Egypt knew all too well what would happen if the Dark Lord gained his ultimate goal. _His twisted designs of grandeur will become law unless I stop him; what we saw in Spirit World will pale in comparison to the events that shall occur here! For all I know, Hiei might bring about the return of the Infinite Blackness, and if he does that, mankind as we know it will be a puppet to his sick whims!_

Then, as though Yami had come to the realization of the meaning of life, he turned towards his light side.

"Yugi, didn't your grandfather teach you how to read hieroglyphs?"

"Yeah. Do you think that an outside interpreter can read it if you can't?"

Yami nodded slightly, his fingers tracing the familiar patterns, worn as they might be. "It seems that this could be a mental defense set by me after I was trapped in the puzzle, like an encoded message. The only way to translate it is to have an outside individual read it, for even though I can read the text, the words seem to be nothing but drivel and nonsense. It was obviously designed so that I couldn't understand it."

"Alright, I'll try my hand." Yugi began to run his fingers across the hieroglyphs, ingesting each symbol and translating it into an understandable text. As more of the text was examined, Yugi's eyes began to widen in horror of the grisly textual information before him. The pupils were contracting purely of their own accord, while his small hand began to shake uncontrollably. 

"Yugi! Are you alright? Answer me!"

The smaller boy began to grin without any motivation, as though he had just gone mad. Yet this was not the only symptom; a small chuckle, brimming with malice, was forming in his throat, as his features twisted into a cruel, merciless expression. The eyes, far from their usual amethyst shade, turned a dark red with the added affect of an evil presence. 

Yami had only seen these expressions on one person.

The possessed Yugi began to look around his new surroundings with glee and unprecedented delight as he, or it, crawled around the Millennium Puzzle's inner chambers. All the while, he had been muttering in a hideous dialect of Sanskrit, the kind only used by the followers of the Dark Kingdom. Whatever this creature was, it had once been among this number.

_This spirit's_ _ka is one of the Black Descendants, the same race that Hiei is branded as. Supposedly, these demons would crawl out of breaches in the mystic portal and invade any populated areas that they entered, and would take control of the weaker-minded_ _humans that they found therein. So what does it want?_

The demon, as though reading the Pharaoh's mind, turned towards him. "_I see you are familiar with the Ancient Scripts of the Kings of Egypt; even I could tell exactly what you were thinking._" The fiend's voice was grating and cruel, not unlike the wails of the eternally damned. "_And I must congratulate you on tracing the lineage of Master Hiei towards the days of the Shadow Games when even the greatest Spirit World archivists could not trace his family legacy."_

"What legacy!? A universe of shadows and destruction, ruled over by a psychotic devil with a god complex!? What kind of legacy is that?"

"_You do not give the dark master enough credit, my liege. Hiei's legacy is not that of a madman, but that of a god! He already possesses the might of the Shikon no Tama, the jewel of the ancient gods of Japan, not to mention three Millennium Items and the power of his Jagen eye. It's only a matter of time before he rules the world as Pharaoh. But, in order for him to do that, he will have to complete the Shikon no Tama and obtain the Millennium Puzzle. And believe me, with the power to read minds and twist the opponent's soul, nothing will stand in his way. You must also remember that the Priestess Kikyo is no longer by your side..._"

The name, although he had never heard it before, struck Yami's heart like a knife. 

"Who are you talking about? I was never aided by a Priestess Kikyo, and I think I would remember such a person."

The demon, who had suddenly begun to laugh, choked out a response. "_I see. So the memory charm you instilled upon yourself worked perfectly."_

"MEMORY CHARM?!"

"_IT DID WORK! I won't burden you with the details of the war you two endured, but I will tell you this: once Hiei finds the reincarnation of this woman, the only significant ally you ever had will be no more! And then, the Puzzle will come into his hands, whilst you traverse oblivion for all eternity!"_

Yami, who had been unable to bear listening to this monstrosity any longer, lifted the hand that had spelled madness for hundreds before him. "I don't know the dark history of which you speak, but you can tell your master that he will never gain my power or control of the world! NOW, BEGONE! MIND CRUSH!" The possessor of Yugi was blown to pieces, while the original, innocent inhabitant returned. 

Yami, setting the light side into his soul room, felt like a piece of the greater puzzle was concealed from him. Returning to the hovel of a suite, Yami stepped out into the hallway, to join the others in the tournament. Yet Kaiba had been strangely absent...

New Paradigm Hotel, The Mist

Seto Kaiba could not quite grasp the situation at hand, despite the fact that every scrap of data seemed to confirm it. Had someone told the adolescent businessman a year before that he would be sitting across from Death itself, discussing the actions of a megalomaniac demon with a Millennium Item installed in his forehead and delusions of conquest, the odds are that they would have seen the bowels of a psych ward in less than an hour. And yet here he was, conversing with the Grim Reaper as if it was a regular thing, and making neither heads nor tails of the information, Kaiba simply went along with it. 

"So allow me to grasp this nugget of information. Do you mean to tell me that this Hiei character was in fact an unwilling compatriot of yours until quite recently?" 

Botan, long since recovered from her serious injuries thanks to Kaiba's expertise, nodded. Partaking of a small sip of the tea Kaiba had recommended, she continued. "To be brutally honest, I don't have the slightest idea what happened to him. Maybe he was just sick of all the praise for Yusuke and the others, or perhaps his plan was to do this all along. Every time he talked to him or Koenma, I couldn't help but notice a small spark of fury, like he resented the both of them."

"Interesting. I suppose that his immense greed would ultimately take control of him. After the attack on Kaiba Corp., I took the liberty of investigating the Dark World archives via my Millennium Item, the Sennen Rod. What I found interesting was that your name kept appearing in many of Hiei's archives. I can only assume you aren't exactly a favorite of his, as the name "guerilla" was not often far from your own." _I'm not sure, but I have a feeling there's more to this girl than meets the eye. It seems to me that for all the hell she had to go through, Botan still maintains a positive outlook. _The hideous scars that his twisted stepfather had inflicted upon him did not afford Kaiba the same optimism. 

"Well, Seto, the truth of the matter is that Hiei correctly regards me as a threat, and thus far seems to have gone to great lengths to stop me from destroying him."

"From the looks of his archives, it would seem that you're one of the very few attempting this." _I don't understand! I've only known this girl for an hour, and I'm talking to her like I've known her my entire life! _

"Seto, you have to keep in mind that the Spirit World regards Hiei as both tyrant and god. Once Koenma was destroyed, he set up a totalitarianism in which his very word is law, and those that refuse his judgment are hunted down and slaughtered like animals. And since I lead the rebellion, he regards me as public enemy number one. In fact, second to Yugi Mouto, I'm the one he wants to defeat most. Yet I can only pray that my dueling skills will be enough to stop him."

For the first time in many years, Kaiba had a sincere smile, and the attitude to match. "Don't worry. As long as I'm alive, that bastard won't get near you."

"Do you mean that?"

"I promise, and I've never broken a promise to someone I care about."

Meeting room

"Master Hiei?"

Schwarzvald entered the dark enclosure in which Hiei and his chief executives usually met. As usual, Hiei was standing with a smug grin upon his cruel features. And as usual, he knew exactly what his second in command was about to say.

"Do not worry about the interrogation, Schwarzvald. I knew for a fact that she wouldn't have any idea where it was because she purposefully forgot it. As for Yugi and Yusuke, I already have plans for them. My duelists are already in position. And as for the tournament, I already have three tournament keys, so it will not be a problem. If you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to." _As for my other two enemies, I think it's time for a little payback..._

To be continued

Not the best chapter, but this will lay the foundation for a large part of the plot.

Next time, Hiei will expand his plan to take down Yami. Meanwhile, Kaiba will have to grapple with his feelings for Botan, but will Hiei strike first? Also, Yami and Yusuke will duel again, but Yami's duel will feature a blast from the past...

Let me know what you think of this new chapter. Read, Review, Don't flame! 


	18. Silent Destruction

Disclaimer: This is getting idiotic. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!

If you read my last chapter, you'll know that via a demon spirit, Yami has gained significant information as to his relation to Kikyo, while Hiei is planning the downfall of his enemies. Kaiba, meanwhile, has gained new data on Hiei and his dreaded kingdom, while at the same time dealing with an otherwise new emotion.

Next chapter will introduce the first of three cards known as the Messengers of Chaos, while in this one, Hiei continues to plot against Yami. Yusuke, meanwhile, will have his first duel, while Kaiba grapples with his new feelings for Botan.

Here are 6 new cards from The Helldragon, the Ultima series:

Holy Ultima(Warrior/LIGHT/8/ATK 2200/DEF 2900): When Holy Ultima is Normal Summoned, increase your Life Points by 1000.  
Shadow Ultima(Warrior/DARK/8/ATK 2900/DEF 2100): When Dark Ultima is Normal Summoned, destroy two monsters on the field.  
Frost Ultima(Warrior/WATER/8/ATK 2500/DEF 2400): When Frost Ultima is Normal Summoned, draw four cards and discard two.  
Thunder Ultima(Warrior/WIND/8/ATK 2700/DEF 2200): When Thunder Ultima is Normal Summoned, increase the ATK points of all monsters on your side of the field by 200 points.  
Fire Ultima(Warrior/FIRE/8/ATK 2800/DEF 2300): When Fire Ultima is Normal Summoned, inflict 800 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points.  
Steel Ultima(Warrior/EARTH/8/ATK 2600/DEF 2500): When Steel Ultima is Normal Summoned, increase the DEF points of all monsters on your side of the field by 200 points.

Let the madness commence!

Chap. 17: Silent Destruction 

Rosewater Tower, New Paradigm Commerce District

For the people of New Paradigm, the Rosewater Tower, named after the cities prestigious founder, Gordon Rosewater, was considered a metaphorical symbol of it's unprecedented triumph over the evils of their predecessor, Paradigm City. Carven out of pure white marble with a golden statue of Alex Rosewater, pointing to the horizon with confidence and enthusiasm, the colossal edifice served as a beacon of progress to the formerly downfallen population of the hovering metropolis. It was in this tower that the deals of trade were struck, the law was upheld to the utmost extent, and the city officials ruled over the people, who had no idea that they were living a fool's dream.

It is ironic, therefore, that within the shadows of this gargantuan skyscraper, a deal with the devil was about to be ratified.

Hidden from the view of most human eyes, a lean-looking businessman in his early thirties was talking into a small radio link. With a head of thinning salt-and pepper hair and a pale complexion befitting his gaunt face and sunken eyes, the executive looked better suited to the part of a vagabond. Despite this outer appearance, this man was in fact, one of the board members of the New Paradigm Council, which controlled every action of it's people. Yet this human also had a darker side: he was under the employment of the Dark Lord Hiei himself.

Smiling with a grim, detached determination, the proverbial snake stepped out into the sunlight.

"It's show time, Yugi Mouto."

Outside the Rosewater Tower

About an hour had passed since the tournament began, and apart from Yami's recent duel with Beck and Kaiba's crushing victory, very little action had taken place in the city-wide war. Indeed, many of the Paradigm natives seemed not to notice it; they simply moved on with their simplistic lives, with the exception of the few who had the talents to enter. However, this didn't change the very large fact that no other progress had been made by anyone besides Yami and Kaiba. 

"_That's it! I can't take this anymore!"_ Yusuke pulled out his dueling deck in a fervor of rage. "I'll see you later, Yugi. If I don't see any action soon, I think I'll go insane! It's been over an hour, and I haven't even started my first duel!"

Yugi, after reconfiguring his deck with several new cards, among which was Beck's Vampire Lord, stood also, but in this case, it was to stop the taller compatriot from rushing head-long into a dangerous situation. "Yusuke, we have to take it easy for now. I've been studying the Hellfire Tournament pamphlet; we won't have to worry about time since the tournament finals will only commence with a total of twelve competitors. Besides, I don't think that Hiei would want us to not get to the finals. You know as well as I do that he needs to beat all of us in order to gain his desires. But as long as he still operates every aspect, we'll have to be cautious."

Unseen by anyone save Yugi and Yusuke, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle appeared in a ghost-like form. "Both of you are right. While we can't simply stay in any one position, we do have to be mindful of Hiei's tricks. His abilities may not be fully functional, but he still poses a powerful threat to everyone involved here. 

"I suggest we fan out and gain as many keys as possible, since Roger and Inuyasha just left to do the same. However, we must remain on our guard at all times; we don't know where he'll strike next." With that, Yami returned to his confinement.

Yusuke stepped out onto the sidewalk, a look of fighting spirit in his eyes, one which was nearly a match for Yami. "Alright, it won't be easy, but I'm going to the finals. We'll meet the others in about five hours, and if we're lucky, Hiei won't attempt an assault." With that, the Spirit duelist strode off to challenge an opponent. Left to his own devices, Yugi was about to turn towards the tournament himself, when a raspy voice called to him from the shadows.

"Yugi... the dark one requires your presence. It is in your best interest to follow." 

The voice's owner, a hideous looking man outfitted in a black three-piece suit, began to beckon to the young duelist, while he slowly stepped back into the darkened portion of the alley. 

Yugi hesitated, a trickle of sweat working it's way down his forehead as he weighed the situation carefully. _That's strange; I'm absolutely certain that I've never seen that guy before, so how does he know my name? I doubt that many people here know about my adventures, since New Paradigm is a chiefly isolated city. So is it possible that he's on Hiei's payroll? _This query, although based purely on conjecture, was rooted in a level of reason. For the most part, very few even had knowledge as to Hiei's existence, so it was impossible to determine who was working for the demon.

And despite these reasonable inclinations, Yugi also began to think of the advantages of following the mysterious character into whatever trap he had laid beforehand. _If this lunatic is working for Hiei, than maybe I should follow him. After all, maybe that scumbag wants to face me again, so he might have his lackeys drag me into a meeting with the demon. Besides, if his operations are under Hiei's jurisdiction, than there is the possibility that he's holding Grandpa and Kagome. _Bearing these positive but naive thoughts within him, the wielder of the Millennium Puzzle strode forward into the alleyway; although unsure of the speaker's exact position.

What Yugi did not realize was that he was heading into the jaws of a deadly trap... Coffee House, Uptown New Paradigm

"I'll have a large cinnamon black mocha, small amount of sugar."

Kaiba was not very big on coffee himself; it was his personal opinion that the black, invigorating drink was a waste of humanity's time and efforts. However, it was also not beyond him to partake of a strong drink of the roast when a situation was becoming stressful or tiresome. In this case, the circumstances were extremely stressing and exhausting; he now had to deal with not only the demon Hiei and his empire, but also the leader of their small resistance.

The teenage CEO of Kaiba Corporation could not help but feel that his role in this game was about to take a turn for the worst, especially because of his harboring of a dangerous rebel. Yet he was also certain of one, dominating fact: as long as Botan was within his reach, there would be no way that Hiei would take him by surprise. 

And yet...

_I don't understand! It's like every time I think of this girl, my heart lifts ever so slightly, like she's healing my very soul! It doesn't even make sense that I'm helping this girl; how do I know she's not one of Hiei's operatives in disguise trying to get into my head? Or worse: what if she's like Gozaburo, trying to extract my abilities for her own twisted goals? I can't take that risk, not now, or ever. If it came down to me or that girl, the answer is all too clear; I can't afford love now, not when everything is on the line like this! _

Kaiba sipped the drink he had ordered, and felt a sense of tranquility as the scalding liquid moved down his throat. The past two hours had been especially tiresome, considering the events of a few moments after Botan had left. Several minutes after her departure, Kaiba received a call.

^Flashback^

"I must say I am impressed, Kaiba. I will not say I'm pleased that you defeated two of my servants, but I must commend you on your impressive dueling skills." 

As he listened to the stoic yet twisted voice on the other end, Kaiba felt a small chill run down his spine as he realized who it was. 

"I see. So tell me, exactly why are you calling me? I know for a fact that Yugi and the others have what you truly desire, so why are you after me?"

"Kaiba, you poor, senseless fool; haven't you realized by now that what you have is not of any importance to me whatsoever, although Obelisk the Tormentor and the Sennen Rod would certainly be a powerful enhancement to my already incomprehensible powers. You see, Kaiba, I never wanted your Item for it's powers; I plan to use it to gain the other devices of power I need. Despite this, however, your role has just changed drastically..."

"What do you mean?"

The voice on the other end of the line chuckled with an air of cruelty. "Come now, my friend, even you aren't that simple. You know as well as I do that my target is the very person you are trying so hard to get out of your mind..."

^End Flashback^ 

_How could Hiei possibly know that I've been thinking about Botan constantly for the past two hours? More importantly, how did he figure out where we were at the time? Unless..._

If Kaiba had come to a realization, he did not have the time to recognize the significance of his knowledge, for at that exact moment, a huge explosion that spread throughout the entire building blew him out of his chair...

Slums of New Paradigm

_Talk about hypocrisy. I make a huge deal about getting this tournament underway, and here I am doing nothing in this sleaze trap of a city._

For the most part, Yusuke had accomplished extremely little within the time he had stormed off to challenge other duelists. His original plan had been to seek out these duelists one by one, yet thanks to the size of the city and the lack of spine in these circles, he had not been able to find anyone willing to challenge him. And given the stakes of this tournament, he needed to help Yugi in any way he could. 

What he did not know was that the entire city had been commanded not to duel against him...save one on Hiei's payroll.

Of course, even if he could find anyone that would duel him, the odds were that this was not the place to do it. Much like the alley that Seto Kaiba had found himself in earlier, the people here were lowly and cheating; they would sooner steal your key than duel for it. Yet he was so desperate for a little action that he would likely have gone into the city's bowels for a match. Despite his determination, however, Yusuke could not find anyone willing to fight.

Someone was willing to duel, however, but it wasn't who he thought. For hidden behind the piles of garbage was Yusuke's opponent.

The younger duelist kept moving forward, deep into the intestines of the dump that was downtown Paradigm. This was the area that the New Fathers, as the city officials were now called, had spent the least money renovating. It was here that the few impoverished people of New Paradigm lived and worked in their crumbling fields of work, while they still groped for the memories of the tragic Event that shattered their memories. They had been left behind by the city and it's inevitable growth.

"Nice place, isn't it? It doesn't surprise me that you would like it, considering your...shall we call it a family?"

Yusuke, infuriated by the words of an unknown man, whirled around to land a solid fist into his face. What he hadn't counted on was a counter-strike. He was therefore surprised when the person who insulted him slammed Yusuke into the ground with an equally powerful assault, this time with a blackjack. 

The attacker appeared to have spent many years in the tougher parts of life, as his face was covered with multiple scars and a severe burn. One of his eyes, barely visible behind the dark sunglasses that ornamented his face, was dilated, as though many drinks had frozen it into such a position. "You're a little tougher than I imagined. To say the least, I really expected you to be a hell of a lot weaker, from what my boss said. But it doesn't matter, since I'll probably kick your ass regardless."

"Well, you may talk big, but let's see if you can back that up. After all, talk without action means as much as a bad check." Yusuke, despite his close examination, could not for the life of him determine who the guy was, or even whether he was working for someone like Hiei. "If you can beat me in a duel, I might just let you walk away without any damage. But who are you? I make it a point of pride to know my opposition before I beat them."

"Alright, punk. If you call me anything, call me...Bandit Keith."

Rosewater Tower Alleyway

"Continue to follow me, Mouto, and all shall be well."

Yugi, as though in a trance, followed the grating voice of this enigmatic messenger deep into the alleyway, unknowing of the danger therein. _It's like someone is drawing me into a trap, but I can't escape it. What I can't understand is why someone would go to this trouble just to trap me. Even Hiei wouldn't try to set up something this elaborate, unless..._

UNLESS THIS ISN'T HIEI'S WORK!

Yami instantly took over, knowing full well that if Yugi was killed, he would have no chance of stopping the great evil bearing down on him. _Whoever concocted this plan was either desperate or cunning, because I feel that Yugi wasn't brought here voluntarily. If the demon lord has any hand in this, then this is more serious than I could have possibly imagined!_ Yet as Yami began to look about for the mastermind, his eyes caught something, or someone, lurking in the shadows. But before he could address this hidden character, the entire area was filled with cruel and maniacal laughter.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

"What's the matter, Pharaoh? Afraid of an old acquaintance?"

Without warning, a black-robed figure burst out of the doorway nearest to Yami, and landed onto the floor beneath him. "I see that you haven't figured it out yet. But it doesn't matter, because I will show you!" The enigmatic figure dropped the robes hiding him, to reveal...

"Yami no Bakura! What are you doing here!?"

The ancient tomb desecrator grinned with a psychotic air. "It's quite simple, really. You and I are going to duel for our very lives!" As soon as he said this, about twenty electrical cables burst out of boxes lining the walls, and connected to both duelists. "These cables have been linked into our Duel Gauntlets so that they will only activate when one loses. And believe me, you don't want to lose. Care for a demonstration?"

One of these cables shot forward out of the system and attached to the shady character whom had led them here. Unable to do anything but scream in horror, the man was suddenly taking the brunt of an electrical assault; blood was pooling in his eyes as the screams reached a new decibel level before he died. A vile liquid was pouring out of his mouth.

"I see; the winner takes the loser's cards and key, while the other is liquefied from the inside out."

"Very perceptive. So let's begin this duel!" (4000/4000)

To Be Continued

A little sparse, but it's pretty good.

Next chapter, Yami Bakura and Yami Yugi begin the duel for their lives. We also figure out who the mystery figure is. There is also the matter of the explosion that nearly kills Kaiba; what does it have to do with Botan? 

I'm also considering doing a sequel when this fic is done. Any ideas/comments as to this would be greatly appreciated.

Remember to leave a review! 


	19. Chaos Web and Dark Devices

Disclaimer: I own nothing, save the plot.

Chapter 17 was Yusuke's first duel, as well as Yami's face-off against Yami Bakura. Kaiba is also caught in a massive bomb strike, whose source is probably linked directly to Hiei.

This chapter will feature the first of the Messengers of Chaos, the Messenger of Creation, as well as Yami's weak Chaos monster. Hiei also sends Kaiba his regards, as the strike against him is explained, while the role of Michael Seebach is explored. In all of this madness, Yami and Yami Bakura square off for the first time since Battle City.

Let's do this!

Chapter 18: Chaos Web and Dark Devices

Yami vs. Y. Bakura

"I'll make the first move, tomb robber! I place two cards face down, then I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards from my deck!" The two new cards he drew were just the ones he needed. "Next, I will summon Skilled Dark Magician in Attack mode!" From a stream of electric pulses that shook the ground, a tall, mysterious mage with a silver stave leapt onto the field, steel helm and armor pulsing with magical energies normally used only by the Dark Magician. "That will end my turn."

"Very well." With a grim smile upon his face, Dark Bakura drew his next card. _Mouto seems to think that his pathetic monster can withstand the might of any monster I summon, but what he is about to realize is that every move he makes works right into my plan..._

"First, I'll play the Magic card, Dark Designator, which allows me to name any monster in your deck, then add it to your hand; in this case, I select your Dark Magician!" Yami proceeded to add his favorite card into his hand, while a magic counter was added to the Skilled Dark Magician. "Next, I will play Dark Core! This powerful Magic allows me to remove one monster on the field from play. All I have to do is discard one card from my hand, and I know just which one to destroy." As Yami Bakura sent one card to the Graveyard, the powerful mage was being torn to shreds by the nearly infinite gravity causing it to collapse onto itself. "But that's not all. I'll also play the Magic card, Premature Burial! In exchange for 800 life points, I can resurrect any monster from my graveyard. And I select the dreaded beast known as Despair from the Dark!" As if from the depths of hell, a titanic zombie emerged from the earth, towering over each duelist as it's unholy energies assimilated. The creature itself did not take on any solid from; it was a conglomeration of dark energies from the abyss, forming into the vague shape of a horned ogre. (2800/3000) "And let me assure you, Pharaoh, my Despair from the Dark is the least of your worries. Soon I will give you a true taste of despair! Now behold as I sacrifice this mighty creature to summon something even more terrifying! You see, Yugi, this creature may be a powerful zombie, but when fused with another in tribute, it is completely indestructible! Behold, the all-powerful Great Demon Gazetto!" 

The hideous undead goliath began to quake in horror as it's very essence was dragged into the earth from which it was spawned, and even through the asphalt its ungodly screams echoed as something else took it's place. At the same time, a huge pit had burst open, shooting dark flames as it did so. As if from the will of darkness, a massive silhouette was placed against the fires of the pit, and a long, hooked claw dragged this abomination of nature to the surface. Brimming with hatred, the demon's essence was sheathed beneath plate-like armor, and it's deadly fangs were dripping with the Despair's energy. (5600/0)

"You seem somewhat aghast, Atemu. Perhaps I should give a more in-depth explanation of it's ancient might. My demon is a Soul Devourer, but a very unique one. When I sacrificed my Despair from the Darkness just now, my beast not only gained the tribute's attack strength, but doubled it! Now my demon, finish this pathetic duelist with one swipe of your great claw!" But just before the demon's strike fell, a wall of glowing energy began to burn away the creature, whose grisly yelps did not help the situation. 

"You fell right for my trap, tomb robber. I activated my face down card, Mirror Force. By attacking, you triggered the effect of wiping out all attack mode monsters on your side of the field. But that's not all! I also activate the Jar of Greed Trap card, allowing me to draw one card from my deck!" 

"Very well then. I will end my turn."

Yami drew the turn-starting card... and it was just the one he needed.

"First off, I'll play the Magic card, Card Destruction, allowing me to force both duelists to discard their entire hands to draw a fresh one. Next, I will play the magic card, Grave Sacrifice, allowing me to remove any number of monsters from both my graveyard and your own to summon a high level monster!" The essences of Despair from the Dark and Kuribo were absorbed into the magic card. These energies fused into a solidified form, which became...

"Behold, the Chaos Black Magician!"

From the depths of the magic card emerged an intimidating mage with a solid black steel stave with a bright green jewel set into it. Clothed in an outfit of purest black, with shadowy hair and a blue complexion, it was exactly like the Magician of Black Chaos, only much more powerful. (2800/2100)

"Thanks to my latest monster's special ability, I am allowed to add one magic card from my graveyard into my hand. And once again, I will use Grave Sacrifice, allowing me to remove another monster from my graveyard to summon another monster!" The spirit of the Skilled White Magician became that of the Vampire Lord that he had recently won from Beck. "Now my creatures, attack the thieves life points directly and finish this!"

"Nice try, Pharaoh. Reveal the trap card, Dark Wall of Air!" A vast sheet of black steam stood between Yugi's monster's and Yami Bakura's lifepoints. "This trap card prevents any damage done to me during the turn in which it is activated!"

"Impressive. I will play one card face down and end my turn."

_You are indeed a liar and a fool, Yami. Thanks to the new cards Hiei placed into my deck, your monsters are absolutely powerless. _

"It's my move, Pharaoh." Yami Bakura drew his most powerful trap.

_Perfect. Even Yami won't be able to recuperate from this trap, or should I say, virus..._

Ruins of the Coffee House

"Somebody, get a hose link, quick!"

Pandemonium, in every sense of the word, could not begin to describe the atmosphere of the detonated cafe in the aftermath of the explosion. People were running about, screaming like banshees as the normal calm of New Paradigm was shattered like glass, while the small fire department that was in the area swarmed about the conflagrated building like moths to a flame, struggling to keep the hideous flames in check. However, thanks in part to the complacency of the New Father's Council, no solid civil protection network had been established. Yet the worst aspect was the people surrounding it; these fools, who had been so long living in a utopian society, were sent into madness as the flames licked away at the few survivors, causing a nearly uncontrollable chaos that sent the entire block into a state of insanity.

But if New Paradigm had any useful public service that functioned, it was the paramedic system.

Seto Kaiba, singed but alive, could not help but feel a level of shock at the outright audacity of this deadly bombing. Despite this shock, the question remained as to who would make such a drastic attempt on his life; while he certainly had multiple enemies that would want to see him dead, very few of them would go so far as to bomb an entire building simply to destroy one person. While Kaiba knew for a fact that Hiei would kill tens of thousands for the sake of one victory, it was highly unlikely that he would perform an act this flashy and notable.

"You don't know me that well, do you, Kaiba? If you did, then you should probably know that even if a strategy is outlandish or dangerous, it is still a plan. and should be executed with the utmost prejudice."

The very demon that Kaiba had been contemplating was standing right in front of him.

"Hiei! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Don't bother calling for help, Kaiba. What you see standing before you has the sensory significance of a mirage. If you attempt to tell anyone, they will simply perceive that the blast has driven you insane."

The sadistic monarch turned towards the explosion site with a degree of cruel pity for the people running about near the area. "Poor simpletons. They had absolutely no idea that this was about to happen to their utopian city, but it is my thought that the dimwitted buffoons require a slap of reality every now and then, to remind them that the real world still remembers and abhors them..."

"So, Hiei, what exactly is it that you want from me? You said yourself that my Millennium Rod was useless to you, and I severely doubt that you're after my company. The functions of Kaiba Corp are too complex for you to understand anyway. Besides, I know for a fact that your servants can't outduel me."

"Believe me, I am after none of your earthly possessions, or any shred of power that you pathetically grasp onto. What I am after is not so much the company you run, but the company you _keep..._"

Realization, like a strip of lightning raining down upon the heads of the foolish, came upon Kaiba. "You're after Botan, aren't you? Well, let me make this perfectly clear: I agreed to this tournament for the sole purpose of defeating you, so I will not betray my allies to the person that I desire to destroy!"

"Kaiba, you know as well as I do that her kind is a vile and parasitic race that feeds off of the dregs of idealism! By allowing usurpers like her to walk the earth, you are putting the heads of nearly everyone else on the chopping block! I could care a hell of a lot less about your pathetic existence here, but realize this. By the time you realize the enormous error you have just made, it will be far too late to do anything about it."

As the spectral figure vanished, it uttered a final warning: "Deliver the girl to me within 48 hours, or I will take her by force!" 

The horrified civilians who had survived the explosion were screaming as they, in madness, hurled themselves into the streets below. Sirens from fire engines screamed their message as the fire department, which had become so complacent that it had taken thirty minutes for them to even leave the station, finally arrived onto the scene, unable to do anything save attempt to control the unstoppable conflagration and gather the smoldering cadavers into the few body bags available. Even the citizens who had not been involved in the catastrophe were in a state of chaos; to them, this was a certain harbinger of Armageddon. And in all of this anarchy stood Seto Kaiba, deaf to the atrocity, blind to the unholy calamity that surrounded him. The only thing he saw was the face of the twisted madman that had been the cause of all of this. Yet deep within him, a small coal of compassion, kindled by the events of the day, was beginning to glow. 

Kaiba, with cool resolve that was the polar opposite of the bedlam around him, slipped his deck into the Duel Gauntlet, and stepped out into the city.

_I'm coming for you, Hiei._

Small hotel room, New Paradigm Resort District

_Truth. It is the thin, fibrous yarn that binds us, as humans, to the events of a past era. Even in the darkest of years, humanity has struggled to find this common thread, in an attempt to hold steadfast to the values we hold so close to our hearts. And yet, when we finally discover this "common reality", it is finally revealed to us that, despite the horrific events that divert our gaze, there will always be more than one unifying truth..._

Schwarzvald was not a particular advocate of technology in the modern sense, with the rather large exception of his megadeuce, the Big Duo. Yet even he, who had struggled to remove himself from the "corruptions" of the present world, had to admit that the word processor program on his computer was far superior to the Messenger typewriter that had served him for almost 30 years. Despite this, he still kept the old device in his travel case, as a reminder of what once was a great civilization.

Saving the document, the former Michael Seebach began to thumb through his old dueling deck, the cards beginning to show wear from the deck's constant use in this tournament. Each one was a greater component of the whole, one combination working for the advancement of the other. It was for this reason that the deck had served him so well. _This deck is the closest thing I have to a family in this plane of living; everyone else has either died or left the city. I didn't even know that this game existed until a small fragment of my past slipped into the present. The only memory I have ever had prior to the Event, the only memory even worth reviewing, was that of me finally constructing the perfect deck._

The maniacal reporter stared at the cards, and slipped them into his deck. _Soon, Yugi, I will finally be able to reveal the truth, and this card in particular will help me._

Unseen by any, Schwarzvald slipped the Messenger of Creation, the Chaos Soldier, into the deck.

Kind of a short chapter, but it sets the stage for the next. Sorry for the late update, my crap computer won't let me access the site. 

Next time, we will finally see what Yusuke's deck is like, and the mystery figure of last chapter is finally revealed. Kaiba, meanwhile, will attempt to find Botan, but will soon realize that Hiei is indeed a man of his word...

And if you think that Kaiba is the only duelist in the tourney with Crush Card, think again. Can Yami survive a second clash with the dreaded Trap? We also find that the Chaos Black Magician is much more significant than Yami realizes.

Review soon! 


	20. Viral Assault

Disclaimer: In case I haven't made it clear, I do not own anything.

Thanks for putting up with my absence; thanks to a glitch in the server, my damn computer couldn't get me onto the site. But at any rate, the last chapter of my fic revealed that Hiei is ready to go to any lengths to destroy his opposition, even outright terrorism. Despite this, Kaiba refuses to bow to him. Also, Yami and Y. Bakura had begun their duel, and if you think that the thief was tough last time, you've only seen the tip of the iceberg...

This chapter begins the first duel for Yusuke, as well as an insightful look into Kagome's role in this ancient game, as well as her link to Yami. Hiei, meanwhile, has set his sights against Kaiba and Botan, while a powerful new foe is revealed, and it's not who you think.

Chapter 19: Viral Assault

Yami vs. Y. Bakura

"It's my move, Pharaoh, and let me assure you, it will be the final turn that I make. I shall begin by playing one card face down on the playing field. I shall then summon the dreaded Thousand Eyes Idol in attack mode!" Immediately as the thief played his monster, a thick black fog began to lie about the field, from which emerged a hideous creature: a caped, elliptical green creature with striped legs, arms, and hat, every one of its thousand malevolent eyes focusing their gaze upon Yami. (0/0) "Next, I shall play this Magic card, Temple of the Kings!" From the Idol's mists emerged an overwhelming presence, as a vast, Pantheon-like structure rose from the earth. Emblazing it were thousands of ancient symbols from a bygone era, similar to those found in ancient Egyptian palaces. "The end is near, Yami, but I have one final move to make. You see, the power of the Temple of the Kings grants me the ability to activate Trap cards directly from my hand, so I shall activate the Crush Card Virus trap, and I shall use it to infect my Thousand Eyes! Finally, I shall sacrifice my demon to completely obliterate every monster with 1500 or more attack points in your deck!" The Thousand Eyes Idol exploded into thousands of fragments, each containing billions of parasitic germs that converged on Yami. 

As soon as they were struck by the legendary virus, the Vampire Lord and Chaos Black Magician began to writhe and retch as their very skin began to rot into nothing. Within seconds, both monsters were little more than dust swirling about the field. "I'm afraid it doesn't stop there, Yami! I also activate my facedown card, Pact with the Dark Master! This Ritual Magic card allows me to sacrifice monsters whose levels equal 8 or more, so I shall sacrifice the Dark Necrofear in my hand!" The hideous creature emerged onto the field, but was quickly consumed by thick tendrils of an evil force. "What I have unleashed is a power beyond your feeble comprehension, a force of evil so great that not even your Dark Magician could defeat it. Now behold the demon known as Dark Master Zorc, the ultimate Ritual Monster!" The pillar of shadows began to glow with a grim light as it tore open, revealing a towering figure with golden armor and crawling with the dark tendrils used to summon it. (2700/1400) "Now, my demon, attack my opponent's life points directly with Scream of Lost Souls!" The huge demon spread it's blood-red wings and took to the skies, while at the same time mumbling what sounded like an ancient chant, whose words also started to form itself into an ethereal text. This text, in turn, warped and twisted itself into a massive spectral figure, vaguely humanoid in form. The Dark Master gripped this figure and sunk it's teeth into the effigy, and began wailing to the bowels of the earth, phantom blood dripping onto the ground. These wails of sadism rocked Yami to the core, taking out over half of his life points. (1300/4000)

"I can see that I have weakened you, Pharaoh, so I shall end my turn by placing a card in the ancient temple behind me!" As he placed the card from his fusion deck into the field card slot face down, the same image, only translucent, hovered for what seemed like an eternity before sinking into the depths of the ark. "Your move, Pharaoh."

The card Yami drew, while weak, was more than enough to defeat his opponent.

"This duel isn't over by a long shot, and I will cement my victory by activating my Magic card, Card of Sanctity! It will allow us each to draw cards into our hands until each of us has six cards in our hand!" Both Yami and Yami Bakura drew. "Next, I shall play this Magic, the dreaded Monster Reborn, to resurrect from my Graveyard the Dark Magician!" The Magic card formed an Ankh shape upon the ground, glowing with an unceasing light that shaped itself into an eight-foot tall, purple clad mage wielding a staff, in which was set an emerald. (2500/2100). "Finally, I shall summon the Magic Devourer in Attack mode! To end this strategy, I shall discard three Magic cards from my hand to activate my creature's ability, raising his attack and defense power by 3000!" The hideous creature absorbed the arcane magic, and became in form a large tank lined with barbs. "Now my creatures, attack the thief with everything you have!" The Devourer struck first, using twin cannons mounted on it's sides to bombard the Dark Master until it lay shattered on the floor. The Dark Magician, meanwhile, was collecting a ball of dark energy at the tip of his staff, which he rammed into his opponent's chest. (1300/1200)

"I will end my turn by placing one card face down. Do you want to surrender?"

"Never! Did you really think that by destroying one of my monsters you could make victory for you inevitable? My Dark Master may have been powerful, but it is a miniscule threat compared to the hellish nightmares that await you, for soon you will know the power of the true Infinite Lord, the Dark Master Hiei!

"You may have been able to defeat my master's weak servants, but his army of duelists is completely unstoppable! It would take an act of God to save you now! But believe me, their is no divine intervention in this city, for the closest thing they had to a god vanished off the face of the Earth over 40 years ago!"

Before Yami could even puzzle out this information, a small, insignificant sound reached his ears. A sound that pierced his soul much in the same way the name Kikyo had.

_Is that...crying?_

Hotel Room, Center of Town

The demon smiled to himself as he watched the pathetic morons that skittered about like frightened ants, unknowing of the horrible war that was happening beneath their feet. Completely oblivious to the soon-coming wrath of God that would soon dominate them, these pathetic buffoons crawled around on the city streets searching for some purpose to their neo-utopian life style, subconsciously begging of the universe some form of self, pining in unison for one thing: knowledge.

And in this city, the only knowledge of significance was the will of the demigod rulers.

Standing upon the hardwood floor which had supposedly been hewn from a 500 year-old birch, this cruel and critical demon began to search through his vast collection of Duel Monsters cards, the skills of which he had learned from an even older creature than he, and occasionally removed from his deck some worthless strategy in place of a stronger one. As he did so, his swift, pale digits skimmed over his most powerful cards, the greater part of which had droplets of a dark red fluid, no doubt the ones whose original owner's Schwarzvald had slain. 

_As powerful a duelist as Seebach is, he has one fatal flaw; his deck standards are much too high._

Sesshomaru placed the improved deck back into his gauntlet, and began to drum his gaunt fingers upon the wrought iron coffee table, upon which was a bottle of gin from the same material. Picking up the bottle, he studied it's intricacies with morbid fascination, tracing each individual contour with a well-trained hand. This was the work of a true artisan, the equivalent of which he had not seen in many years. However, each embossed scene reflected a deep-rooted psychosis, perhaps the work of a narcissist. 

"Relax, Lord Sesshomaru. The metal-smith who created this little wonder was perfectly sane, a strange irony since he was Botan's second cousin."

The wolf demon stood to his full, intimidating height, his long, platinum locks, flowing white robes, and cold hazel eyes a direct opposite to the gothic uniform that Hiei was known to sport. Hidden beneath these clothes was a strange weapon, the Tensuaiga, capable of saving an army of demons with one block. Yet these proportional differences were the exact converse of the power ranks.

"We meet at last, Lord Hiei."

The superior demon, with one motion, brought a small, wooden stool from out of the shadows, and proceeded to place what seemed to be a small, black jewel with a chink in it upon this seat. "Please sit down, Sesshomaru. We have articles of business to discuss." While Hiei said this, one of his vassal's poured some of the gin into small goblets, each lined with a colorful array of glass beads worth thousands of dollars. As with the drink bottle, each was inscribed with indiscernible text from an erstwhile era.

"As you know, Yugi Mouto, Seto Kaiba, Lord Inuyasha, and the rebel Botan have become contestants in this tournament, and as such I have begun an all-out campaign against them. Thus far, Kaiba and Yugi are in the process of gaining their third tournament key, seven of which are needed to enter the finals. However, if we can finish them off beforehand, we can proceed onto taking control of this pathetic mud ball. Most of my servants have made outstanding process in this field, but I do not trust their overall skills. Thus you have become a factor.

"I am ready to make you a deal that I don't believe you will be able to refuse, but if you choose to up the ante, I shall make no such agreement and you will not walk away from this meeting alive. For I what I have planned is the ultimate obliteration..."

As if on cue, five shadowy figures emerged from the alcove.

"These duelists have been employed from a specific branch of my organization, each with a different background, and a grudge against our mutual enemies. With the exception of one of my lieutenants, each has also been tested for loyalty, and so I trust them wholeheartedly. Your job is to enter the finals and make certain that Kaiba and Yugi are dealt with. The gentlemen behind me will help you accomplish this."

"And as for my payment? I'm not doing charity work, Hiei."

The smaller demon stood for an instant before extracting a long papyrus scroll, which he then proceeded to unfurl. "If you should defeat Kaiba or Yugi, this shall be your reward." For printed on this ancient scroll was the Tetsuaiga.

"You shall give m...me t...the ancient sword? In which case, when may I start?"

Hiei opened a small box near him, in which was a standard Duel Gauntlet. "In order for you to reach the final rounds, you will need this device, which will allow you to duel anywhere in the city limits. However, I do not want you to face the real enemies yet, but instead use this five-member team to deal with that." With that said, Sesshomaru stood as well, and placed the gauntlet on, ignoring the merciless waves of pain it caused him.

"Impressive. Now if you will excuse me, I must be going." Following their new commander's lead, the other five duelists left with Sesshomaru, leaving Hiei alone with his other lieutenants. 

_Everything is coming into place just as I hoped it would._ _Not only is Yami about to lose his duel with the tomb robber, but Kaiba is about to experience the same devastating loss that I have, the loss of the only person that ever loved him. As if that wasn't enough, Yusuke will soon be trampled into the dirt by the intercontinental champion himself, while the rest of those pathetic baboons stare on as I butcher their leaders. And before long, I shall finally obtain the ultimate power of the gods that was meant to be mine!_

Before Hiei could move onto more professional thoughts, however, one of his less illustrious seconds entered. "Master Hiei, as you requested, we managed to gain the information on the progress of Kaiba, Yugi, Botan, and Yusuke. Thus far, Kaiba and Yugi are each engaged in a duel for their third key; Yusuke has begun his first duel, while Botan is in the process of gaining her fourth." This reporter was completely hidden from view by a full face mask made out of clay from the sacred Mt. Hiei . "The other duelists have made no such progress, save Schwarzvald and Youkai Kurama."

"Excellent work. And as for you, I want you to begin your next tag-team duel as soon as you can. In fact, I have already assigned you another partner, one Kazuma Kuwabara."

"Ah, yes, one of the dimwit's other friends, I'd surmise. Wasn't he the one that messed up in his duel with Seto Kaiba?"

"The very same, but with your guidance, I am absolutely certain that this mistake will not happen again. As far as I am concerned, Kuwabara may be a complete moron, but his deck is just the type of power our organization needs at this point." Hiei turned towards the open window, his all-powerful deck nestled into his Gauntlet, and his attention turned to the alley way where Yami and Yami Bakura were squaring off. "I can assure you, Yami has no idea of the shock he is about to get from encountering Kagome for the first time," muttered the demon, more to himself than to the other entity in the room. "Her role in this ancient conflict runs much deeper than she or the Pharaoh can comprehend, for it was by her and Yami's doing that the shadows were sealed, at the price of her own life. Neither one can completely understand the beings by whom they were created, and thus shall they fall."

Silence.

_I can only assume that the psychic walked out on my tangent. No matter, for even if she doesn't get rid of Yusuke, this certainly will._

Hiei smirked coldly as he removed a circular object from a small, cold duffel bag, an object with limp, mousy brown hair upon which ice shards had started to form, glazed eyes that had once been a lovely hazel color, and a pale, frightened expression explained by the crude cut of the evisceration.

What Hiei held in his hands was the severed head of Keiko Yukimora.

Yusuke vs. Bandit Keith

"I'll make the first move, you stupid punk." The dreaded Machine duelist looked at his hand, in which was the first of his many new cards. "I'll start this show by placing four cards facedown, and I'll also place a monster in face-down defense mode." _What this little freak doesn't know is that every card I placed facedown is a magic, just so he'll be intimidated not to attack. _"That wraps up my turn."

"In that case, let's bring the game up a notch!" Yusuke looked at the cards in his hand with morbid humor. "I'll start by placing a monster in defense mode, followed by the activation of this Magic card, Seal of the Ancients!" A stone cross with an ancient symbol carven of alabaster appeared, while at the same time glowing a bright red. "In exchange for 1000 of my own lifepoints, I'm allowed to look at every face-down card you have on the field." The red light coming from the seal revealed every one of Keith's cards: Raigeki, Dark Hole, Guard of Card, Life-Shortening Magic, and Cyber Jar. "I see you were trying to keep me from attacking you by placing so many face-down cards, but I'm afraid that it won't work, for I activate the Magic card, Heavy Storm, which annihilates every Magic and Trap card on the field, followed by two more cards face-down. If this is how you're gonna be dueling for the rest of the fight, then you're even more of an ass then I thought. Take it, blondie."

The second Keith saw the card in his hand, he realized that this duel would be even simpler than he expected. "I'll flip up my face-down monster, Cyber Jar!" The bomb-like structure, bristling with the ultimate technological advancements, appeared. (900/900) "You're screwed, Yusuke! Once this all-powerful weapon activates it's time detonation sequence, every monster on the field will be destroyed, removing that pathetic excuse for a defense from the field. Cyber Jar, detonate!"

Deep within the programming of the superintelligent weapon, the command activated an electrical pulse that began moving through the false synapses towards the explosives storage, filled to the brim with highly delicate materials. This electric message, in turn, sparked a fuse connected directly to the volatile chemical compound. The end result was a massive explosion similar to a supernova, which began to drag every monster on the field into the resulting black hole, including the Cyber Jar that triggered it.

"Not only does the Jar wipe out every monster on the field, it forces each of us to draw five cards from our decks, and from these five cards summon or set any monster with 4 stars or less." Keith managed to summon Mechanicalchaser, a rotund green android armed to the teeth with edged weapons (1850/800) , as well as the dreaded Drillago, a yellow machine whose appendiges could at will form drills capable of shredding a 5-foot thick wall of galvenized steel, (1600/1100), and placed a monster in defense mode as well. Yusuke, on the other hand, summoned Soul Tiger, an ancient feral spirit, (0/2100), a Giant Soldier of Stone, (1300/2000), both in defense mode, and placed a monster in face-down defense mode as well.

"If you think this turn is over, Yusuke, you have no idea of what's coming next, for I sacrifice Drillago and my face-down monster to summon the all-powerful Dark Invader!" As if the event was already rigged, the field literally became one of pitch blackness. Absolutely nothing was visible, and for an instant it seemed that Yusuke had died again. "Keith! What the hell is going on?!" But a dim light, cloaked by the shadows of the field, answered the question perfectly. For from this light was emerging one of the most hideous creatures he had ever seen.

Surrounding the area around the creature was a huge battlefield, loaded down with corpses of dead monsters and thick with the stench of death. In every direction houses and villages were burning, and the screams of women and children being brutally tortured was the dominant sound, but what could cause such devastation was revealed in Keith's monster.

The demon stood over 12 feet in height, bound by a thick, sinewy build and mostly hidden by the blue hooded cloak it wore. In one of this's creature's taloned hands was a razor-sharp, bloody axe, while the other held a human head. Around it's neck was a black talisman. (2900/2450)

Yusuke collapsed onto the ground, sweating profusely in outright terror; since Keith's monster was obviously the strongest on the field, the only thing protecting him was his three defense monsters.

_How am I supposed to win?_

To be continued 

Well, it took me long enough, but I finally finished this chapter. Remember, the more you review, the more you update.

Ok, next time will see the revelation of the mystery character that Yami hears, as well as the completion of the two duels. Botan, meanwhile, will try to find Hiei's hidden stronghold, but will ultimately fall victim to one of Hiei's soldiers. The next chapter will also begin Joey's first duel, as well as reveal one of the "mystery duelists."

One more thing: next chapter will reveal the lieutenant Hiei was talking to earlier this chapter.

Read and Review!


	21. The Pharaoh and the Priestess: Bound by ...

Disclaimer: This is such bull and everyone knows it, but since the moron lawyers say so, I own nothing! 

For those of you just tuning in, last chapter was the introduction of Hiei's latest servant, Lord Sesshomaru, who has been promised control of the Tetsuaiga if he can defeat Yugi or Kaiba. It also introduced Sesshomaru's five operatives, hired by Hiei to do the dirty work for him. As if that wasn't enough, Yusuke began his duel, while Yami reclaimed control over his own with a hairline lead.

Chapter 21 will reveal the first of Sesshomaru's five grunts, the revived Bui, as well as precede Joey's first duel. Yami will also finish his own battle, as Yusuke continues his. Kagome will also return this chapter.

The Original Cards gallery is back, with a new one from The Helldragon:

Beldes, Champion of the Dragons  
(FIRE/Dragon-Type/7 Stars/ATK 2650/DEF 2350)  
When Beldes, Champion of the Dragons, is Normal Summoned to the field, you may choose one of the following effects:  
1. Special Summon one Dragon-type monster with 6 stars or less to the field in faceup attack position.  
2. Inflict 1000 points of direct damage to your opponent's Life Points.  
Let's tear it up!

Note: The Puppet-master in this chapter will have the Anime effect, and Groundbreaking will be a Magic card. 

Chapter 20: The Pharaoh and the Priestess: Bound by Fate

Yami vs. Y. Bakura

Sure enough, the sound, small as it was, of crying was wafting across the arena. It was isolated, barely loud enough to be heard by extremely sensitive human ears, but whether by a quirk of fate or simple coincidence, Yami heard the sobbing...and it broke his heart. These waves of sound were the true lamentations of one who has lost all hope, the resonance of true despair. No doubt these were the tears of an unhappy angel. Unable to withstand the heart wrenching noise any longer, the Pharaoh collapsed onto the floor, the beginnings of his own tears blooming.

The tomb robber, for obvious reasons, was not touched. In fact, he was disgusted.

"Come on, you damn baka! Show a little dignity, for the love of God! I have never seen such a spineless reaction from the tears of that ugly bitch Kagome!"

_Kagome... Where have I heard that name before?_

Yami, no longer concentrating on the life-or-death duel before him, scanned his mind over and over, hunting for the name's source, until he remembered that it was the same Kagome Hiragashi that the youkai Inuyasha had been lamenting about, the same that had supposedly been cut down by Hiei over three months beforehand. However, despite the demon's cruel assassination attempt, she had survived. In fact, Hiei had let her live for the sole purpose of completing the Jewel of Four Souls. However, the very fact that she was here gave the king a degree of hope. Perhaps his relation to the Priestess of ages ago could grant him mercy in the form of this human girl...

"What are you waiting for, Yami? Finish your turn, or declare an automatic forfeit! In fact, why not stay down? It seems that if a cacophony of sobs will break your spirit, then instilling fear in you will shatter it! You know as well as I do that I have destroyed every powerful monster in your deck, and soon, these two will be completely useless, for in order for you to keep that Magic Devourer on the field, you will have to discard one card from your hand during each of your turns! I certainly doubt you will be able to maintain such an effect for too long!"

Yami, no longer focused completely on the crying, turned towards his opponent. "This duel isn't over by a long shot! I shall place one card face down and end my turn."

"Very well, it's my move now!" Looking at his latest card, Yami Bakura figured out a new strategy. "Using the Instant Trap effect of my Temple of the Kings, I will play the Trap Card, Joyful Doom! This powerful card allows me to drain the abilities of your monsters by reducing their attack strength to a pathetic 0, and adding the lost points to my own life point count!" (6700/1300) While the life points of the tomb robber rose to nearly double their original amount, both the Dark Magician and the Magic Devourer had their attack strength reduced. "Next, I shall play this Magic card, my own Card Destruction, to force both of us to obliterate all cards in our hands, and draw a fresh one of the same amount! Finally, I will play the Trap Card, Call of the Haunted, to resurrect the all-powerful Spirit Controller Puppet-master to the field for so long as my Trap remains!"

From the same ground that the Despair from the Dark sprung from emerged a huge mausoleum, neo-gothic in origin, carven from a slab of living rock. The doors, also hewn from the stone of the earth, slowly began to creak open, while at the same time screams began to flood the air with dread. As these wails slowly died down, a grotesque entity began to emerge in their stead: a hovering, gaunt demon, vaguely jester-like, with hollowed out eyes and a mouth locked in an eternal screech. (0/0) 

"Stare into the eyes of death, Yami, for this creature will seal your demise! Although it may look pathetic, the Puppet-master has a devastating effect. All I have to do is offer up 1000 life points, and my puppeteer does the rest. Puppet-master, activate!" (5700/1300). Using the 1000 life point offering to create strands of life energy, the malevolent fiend sent it's dark ropes into the earth, from which it pulled the Dark Master Zorc, a gangly gentleman zombie demon called the Earl of Demise (2000/700), and the Slate Warrior sent to the Graveyard earlier, (1900/400). "The Puppet-master's ability allows me to revive three Fiend sub-type monsters that were sent to the Graveyard, but unfortunately they cannot attack in the turn they are summoned. But I'm afraid that things will only get worse from here!" With this, he discarded one card from his hand.

_This is a peculiar turn of events. Not only did he give me a perfect opportunity to attack, but also he discarded a card without any reason or effect. So what could his plan possibly be?_

"Yami, what I have just done is the key to my victory, for by discarding the Mystical Beast Serket in my hand, I have also triggered my Temple of the Kings' _other_ ability. For once both the temple and the beast are annihilated, I am finally allowed to summon from the ark atop the temple a beast of such ancient might that there is no way to stop it's wrath. Behold, the unequaled glory of a dead might, the supreme Exodia Necros!" 

As soon as Yami Bakura uttered these words, an ominous rumbling began to emerge from the depths of the Temple, as the stone from which it was carven began to spider-web. These cracks in their turn started to ooze a thick, black liquid from the core of the palatial tomb, the Ark within it. This liquid began to shape itself into five individual pieces, which solidified into blackened versions of the five Exodia pieces; these pieces fused into a towering being, a dark Exodia. (1800/0).

"My new creature may have minimal attack points now, but within several turns it will be completely invincible! That is because with each of my turns, my beast's Attack strength will continue to rise by 500 points. And just to make certain that the duel goes according to plan, I shall activate my final Magic, the dreaded United we Stand!" Upon Exodia Necros's arms appeared jeweled blue and gold gauntlets, focusing the power of every monster on Yami Bakura's side of the field. "I believe you have encountered this Equip card before?"

_Of course! This is the same card that Beck nearly beat me with! For every monster on my opponent's side of the field, the equipped creature will gain 800 attack points, and since Yami Bakura has 5 monsters on his side, his Necros will have an attack strength of 5800! And since Necros can only be destroyed by Monster Effects, there's no way to stop it!_

"This duel is over, Yami, especially when I activate the final move of my strategy, by using the Dark Master Zorc to obliterate every monster on your side of the field! I mentioned earlier that the Dark Master was the most powerful Ritual monster in circulation, and you are about to see why! Dark Master Zorc, activate Die of Damnation!"

In the Dark Master's hand assimilated a six-sided die fashioned from human bone. This die began to spin about without any outside force acting upon it, yet it continued to gather immense speed. "The die that you are looking at is formed from the collected souls of sinners and the excommunicated from the Dark Ages, supposedly capable of both serving the darkness and betraying it! Upon the die's ceasing to roll, the numerical figure revealed will result in one of three things: if the result is one or two, every monster on your side of the field is destroyed; if it is three, four, or five, I am allowed to select one of your monsters and destroy it alone; however, if it lands on six, every monster on my side of the field is shattered into oblivion! Feeling lucky, Pharaoh?"

The die began to slow down, each second that passed seeming like a thousand years. Yami knew that if it landed on one or two, the duel was over, however, if it landed on anything else, he had a chance. As these thoughts rolled about in his head, his eyes strayed from the duel to the shadowy figure in the corner, now revealed as Kagome.

_It isn't just my soul that's on the line. If I lose this duel, Kagome's life is in danger too, for Hiei needs to extract the information of the final jewel shard from her. That's not all, for if this bastard wins, Hiei will gain the Millennium Puzzle, and the entire world will be endangered! I can't lose this; I just can't!_

As Yami continued to stare at the young girl, several features began to make themselves known. It was almost as though a small light was piercing the darkness of the battle, to reveal what Kagome really looked like.

_Oh dear lord. _

The young woman's skin, unlike the ill pallor of the estranged duelist he was facing, had the rare, lovely pale complexion found only in the finest porcelain, pure and untainted by the other evils of the world. This light coloration was enhanced by her flawless locks of raven black hair, like two entirely different hues blending into a thing of unparalleled beauty, which she seemed to represent, and although her almond shaped were sealed shut by the salt water tears, he could almost see the eyes themselves, chestnut flecked with gray. 

_She's gorgeous, and yet it's like I've seen her before, but where?_

"At long last, the die is slowing down! Prepare to experience a crushing defeat at the hands of my monsters!"

Just as the thief said, the ivory cube had begun to lose some velocity, each individual point glowing red hot from the speed that they were moving at. Slowly, the die shifted, contorted its position, until it landed on...

_6._

"_WHAT?!"_

The instant that this number was revealed, countless droves of demonic souls began to surround every monster that Yami Bakura possessed, uttering unholy blasphemies that could make even the darkest of creatures sick to their stomachs.

The fiendish spirits began consuming the living flesh of these monsters while they mouthed these hideous sayings, as thin, black ichors oozed from the souls that were being eaten alive. As if that wasn't enough, ebony chains from the bowels of Hell had also started to emerge, maintaining a chokehold on this pool of blood and the wretches trapped in it, while constantly drawing the fiends deeper into a pool of their own fluids. And within seconds, each had vanished from the Earth, never to be seen again.

"How is this possible? Every aspect of the duel was directing my path to victory. _How could I lose?!_"

Yami looked once more upon his vision of beauty, and inwardly thanked her for the faith that she instilled in him. Turning back to the duel, Yami could not help but grin at the horrified shock of one of his oldest enemies. "It's as clear as the orb of Amun-Ra, you filthy bastard. I knew full well that if I lost this match, every one that I cared about would be in infinite danger, while you were simply in it for your own self-gratification. You must also take into account that the Dark Master Zorc's abilities are risky at best, and it was you that took the fall for it."

"You think this duel is over? Well you are sadly mistaken! My life points far outnumber your own, so even if you could get a strong enough creature on the field, there would be no way to finish me with one move! So I shall place one card face down and end my turn. It's time to see if you can fulfill your promise."

"Very well. Let's end this, once and for all!" The final card was the key to his victory. "I choose not to discard from my hand to maintain the Magic Devourer, so begone!" The blob was shattered into oblivion, only to be replaced by a new monster, a red-garbed mage wielding strands of power that tapped into the earth. (0/0) "Stare into the eyes of defeat, for I summon the all-powerful Chaos Necromancer! His attack strength may be minimal now, but since his attack strength is 300 times the number of monsters in my graveyard, he will gain a huge power boost, thanks to your Crush Card!" The combined powers of all 20 of the monsters in Yami's graveyard were absorbed by the fiend through the power threads, causing it to grow into a 20-foot tall goliath. (6000/0) "And since you have only 5700 life points and nothing to defend you, I shall mount an attack on your life points! Chaos Necromancer, finish this battle with Wavelength Destiny!"

Just as the demon was about to attack, Yami Bakura began to snicker in such a way that Yami realized that such a hasty attack might have been a mistake. "You fool! You have fallen right into the dreaded trap known as Chasm of Spikes! Not only does it destroy your monster, but it also subtracts a quarter of that monsters attack points from the opponent's life points! This duel is done!"

Yet just as the Chasm began to open, a stream of silver energy sealed it, along with it's deadly effect. "I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit! This Counter Trap allows me to negate any Trap activated, at the paltry sum of 1000 life points. My attack, however, continues through! Necromancer, finish the job!"

Within the hands of the Necromancer appeared 20 iron seals, which formed a large, circular wheel, and from each of these seals emerged an image of every monster in Yami's graveyard, each standing behind the loop. As the beasts empowered this ring with their life force, the circular edifice began to spin with unmatched speed, while at the same time glowing with a bright red sheen. This glow formed itself into a thousand smaller rings of energy, all of which bombarded Yami Bakura with massive wavelengths of radiation. (300/0)

"Well done, Mouto. But let me assure you that this isn't the end of my fight, for soon the darkness shall consume you all! So go ahead and take these five cards, for it won't be long before I return! AHAHAHA!" With these chilling words, Yami Bakura receded into a beam of light, seconds before he could be electrocuted. 

_Thank God that's over with, but I have a bad feeling that this is only the beginning of Hiei's plans for me._ Unable to stand any longer, Yami collapsed onto the ground, hand clasped around his latest cards and key...

Yusuke vs. Bandit Keith

"Give up yet, Urameshi? You know as well as I do that you can't win against everything I've set up here, so don't even try. The only things stopping me from wiping you out are that lineup of pathetic defense monsters and that one face down card, so don't even try. Dark Invader, destroy his Soul Tiger with the Usurper's Axe Slam!" Upon this command, the grotesque creature dipped the axe-head into a nearby pool of blood, which was promptly absorbed by the fibrous structure of the handle. Once this grim, almost satanic ritual was completed, the Invader sent the axe into the ground with crushing force towards the wraithlike beast. 

"So sorry, Keith, but I'm afraid that the only thing that axe will be slamming is your fat mouth, for I activate the Quick-play Magic Card, Guard of Card! In exchange for dumping anything in my hand, I can stop that assault dead in it's tracks!" But before the shield could open itself completely, a thin beam of purple light tore it down. 

"WHAT!?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Keith watched as the axe shockwave tore off the head of the Soul Tiger, ripping out the spine as it did so. "I suppose I didn't mention my Invader's special ability, did I? Well, this is the basic idea: every time you activate a Quick-play card, my Dark Invader's effect kicks in, automatically negating and destroying it, meaning that only Traps and Monster effects can affect it now. In this way, I have one less thing to worry about every time I attack you. So I will end my Battle Phase, as well as my turn, by placing two cards face down."

Staring at his dismal hand with fear and concern, Yusuke realized that there was little he could do, unless he drew some kind of powerful monster. "All right, jerkass! It's my move!" _Perfect! Just the card I needed! _"I activate the Magic card, Tribute to the Doomed! By burning a card in my hand, I get a sweet deal by destroying one of your monsters! Say goodbye to the Dark Invader!" Upon the Magic card's activation, a sea of gauze roared out of the space on the field, while slowly consuming the monstrosity which Yusuke had designated, until the ogre shattered completely. "But I'm afraid that the slaughter has only begun, so watch this! I'll play this little baby, Groundbreaking! This card grants me the power to revive a Spirit Monster from the Grave, but it has to count as a Normal Summon, so say hello to Yamata Dragon!" As the earth beneath the Monster Card zone splintered, several thousand beams of light shot out from the gap. These auras from the other world fused into a huge entity: a gigantic serpent with countless heads and cruel, snake-like eyes. (2600/3100) "I'm afraid that I'm not done with you yet. Activate Harpies Feather Duster, one of only ten released, and you're about to find out why. For no cost at all, I am allowed to rip through every one of your Magic and Trap cards! Finally, I shall have Yamata Dragon take down your Mechanicalchaser with Multiple Fire Cannon!"

Immediately after the gale-force winds of the Harpie's Feather Duster reduced Keith's last line of defense to rubble, the draconic snake began to collect a sphere of flames within each individual orifice, in which were maintained a fleeting image of mythological creatures, lost forever in the sands of time and space. Yet this panoramic view of ancient lore was soon replaced by incomprehensible levels of energy, similar to that of Yusuke's spirit powers. Even this flux of power gave way to sheer force as each orb of all-consuming flames converged on the spherical Mechanicalchaser, whose pathetic defense attempts crumbled before the massive onslaught of incandescent fire. (3250/4000) 

As soon as the flames had died down, five orbs, each about the size of a basketball, leapt forth into Yusuke's hand, allowing him to draw the same number of cards from his deck, and replenishing his non-existent hand. "I'll put the finishing touches of the plan by placing two cards face down, and that will do it. But first thing's first..." The Yamata Dragon, in all of it's glory, shot back to the card from whence it was born. Once this action was accomplished, Yusuke returned said card to his hand.

"You see, Keith, Spirit monsters, while they have a powerful attack or effect, have one semi-powerful trait: at the end of each turn, said monster will return to the hand of whoever summoned it, leaving the duelist open for a direct attack unless he or she can set up a strong defensive wall to keep his or her life points safe." _I can't believe that the old hag's Duel Monsters training would come in handy as much as it has, especially in this duel..._

BanditKeith, however, was not so enthusiastic. 

_How could such a pathetic little dweeb be able to regain a lead in one turn? I know for a fact that he's never been a strategic thinker, from what my boss told me. So how could he possibly have that powerful a strategy all set up?_

It didn't matter, thought Keith as, hidden from view by his duel gauntlet, he replaced his current hand with a better one of the same amount, while slipping the next component on top of his deck. This duel would be over soon. 

Shaded Park, Center of the City

"You must think I'm insane! There's no way I'm going to give you that kind of money! What happened to that Swiss bank account you kept running on all that crap from the slush fund?"

Silent as always, the armored behemoth known by only a select few began to finger the cast iron case where his dueling deck resided, while at the same time moving his other hand in the direction of the gigantic axe he always kept handy, in the event that someone, like this corrupt accountant, tried to escape paying his exorbitant expenses.

Speaking in a raspy, tired voice, the warrior hidden beneath black samurai armor, plume and all, explained his case. "That account folded over 25 years ago, and you know that much as well as I do. I also know exactly how much money you have on your person at any one time, so I also am certain that you have more than enough to pay me tribute."

"Sure, but two million dollars?! I can barely afford to feed my wife and kids, let alone keep paying your dumbass boss! If you absolutely _need_ the money, I'd be happy to tell you about some mob connections that could pay you."

The motion coming after this idea, while barely noticed, was obviously a shake of the head. "Too risky; we don't know who leads these organized crime circles, and even if we did, it seems pretty obvious that they are not to be trusted." Circling the makeshift desk set up within the cave, the hidden soldier, known by all as Bui, completely removed the hatchet from it's leather sheath. "Now, I can do this the easy way, or I can cut open your ribcage and leave it for the wolves. What shall it be?"

Fear surged into the accountant's beady eyes as he set up a check for the excessive sum that Bui requested, and, hand quivering in dread, placed the check into his leader's hands.

"Perfect; Hiei will certainly appreciate this generous donation. But just to be safe..." Bui placed his axe into his right hand and moved towards the banker.

"_Wait, what are you doing?!"_

"I can't afford any witnesses. It's nothing personal."

"Please, I beg of you, have mercy! Here, take my cards, they're the best money can buy! Just don't kill me!"

Hidden from view, the man hunter grinned as he looked upon the cards given him. "My deck thanks you, as does my thirsty blade!" With one swift motion, the cringing bookie was vertically sliced in half before he could even utter a scream.

Several miles away, New Paradigm Hospital

Screams of rage, fury, undaunted hatred. Such was the cornucopia of sounds that came on an hourly basis from the room of one Joey Wheeler ever since he had received a courtesy call from an unknown operative. Since that fateful message, the brash duelist had gone through the emotions of rage, guilt, hysteria, and depression in two hours flat. No one was quite sure what the problem was, but it had to be a large one to set him off to this degree. 

It was a large problem, bigger than any could imagine.

"How could that dirtbag do this? Even someone as vile and sinister as Hiei wouldn't sink so low as to commit this kind of crime!" Joey, now in a fetal position, could only helplessly watch as the course of said call ran through his mind...

^Flashback^

Joey was, as usual, configuring his deck with new cards, mostly anti-Dragon and anti-Fiend cards for use against Kaiba and Hiei, both of whom had not been heard from since the events of Yugi's first duel. However, this situation was unique in that he was by his sister's bedside while he worked on his skills. 

"Serenity? Are you awake yet?"

Of course, these soft-spoken words that were uncharacteristic of Yugi's best friend fell upon deaf ears, for his beloved younger sister was still catatonic from whatever had happened to her on the recent "vacation" she had taken. Strangely enough, Joey had not even heard of such plans; she had just said goodbye without any explanation or packing, and simply dropped out of contact until Yugi had found her, half-dead, aboard the _Des Volstgulph_ that had taken them here.

_It's kinda strange, now that I think about it. Serenity usually tells me everything, even when she's in some kind of fix. Of course, she might have kept quiet about that date with that pig Tristan. But when I talked to him on the way here, he didn't mention anything about it at all._

But Tristan's lack of information wasn't the only thing that bothered him. When Joey had asked his shorter friend Yugi how it happened, his eyes averted ever so slightly in the other direction, as if this change of focus would negate the question. And when Yugi told him that there was no immediately obvious explanation for Serenity's cruel bruises and cuts, Joey instantly knew he was lying.

When he asked Yusuke, Tea, or Inuyasha, who had also "found" his sister, their reactions were about the same.

_Could it be possible that my best friends are...keeping something from me? Something that I should know about? But what could it be? _

As these mismatched and fearful ponderings buzzed through his head, something else buzzed: the black phone next to him, the digital read-out screen flashing "JOEY WHEELER" in neon red. 

Picking up the bizarre phone, Joey only heard silence on the other line...until another voice appeared, deep, with a slight German accent.

"It's about time you picked up."

Bewildered by this strange call, the older Wheeler whispered, "Who is this, and how the hell do you know my name?"

A snort of disdain made itself known before the other caller continued. "Let's not play the part of a fool, Wheeler. And speak up, your dimwitted sister is too far gone on pain and anesthesia to give a damn about how loudly you speak."

Joey was instantly infuriated. "WHERE DO YOU GET OFF CALLING MY SISTER A DIMWIT? AND WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU ANYWAY?"

"Temper, Mr. Wheeler; it's this kind of hot bloodedness that will lose you the tournament. And as for who I am, you may refer to me as Black Forest, or Schwarzvald if you prefer."

The younger duelist barely managed to contain his rage, and continued. "The same Schwarzvald that tried to nuke Paradigm City?"

"I'd prefer you not mention that unholy landfill of a city, so devoid of truth that it must create it's own history. But I digress. At this point I am Hiei's most trusted lieutenant, and his second in command." 

"So you're on the megalomaniac demon's beck and call, right? I'm guessing there is something in return for you?"

"That is not important, at least for now. The main reason I have called is to break your spirit for good, so that you cannot support Yugi, Kaiba or Yusuke effectively. You see, your sister is in here for a multiple number of reasons. Strategically, her purpose here is to distract your attention, but I can assume that you already knew that much. And of course, Hiei wants her out of the way, and frankly I agree with him in that respect. But as for her wounds, they are typical for someone whom the Dark Lord had his way with and 

who attempted to struggle with such..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, you sick freak?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean. Goodbye." 

Once again, silence. Up until Joey collapsed onto the floor in tears.

^End flashback^

To be continued 

Whew, this must be my longest chapter yet. Please don't be offended, but if so, I am truly sorry; it was just a plot twist.

Well, next chapter will conclude the Bandit Keith/Yusuke duel, Yami and Kagome will officially meet for the first time, Kagome's father is studied, and Kaiba finds Botan again, only to be forced into a duel by a perverted monk. Inuyasha fans will know who I'm talking about. Meanwhile, Hiei orchestrates a new plan for Kaiba and Botan.

Remember, the more you review, the better my updates get, so check it out, review it, but please don't flame it!


	22. Fusion of Time

Disclaimer: I own nothing. 'Nuff said.

Hey, everyone! I'm back and (hopefully) better than ever!

To those who missed last chapter, Yami finally defeated Yami Bakura in his second duel in the tournament. Yusuke, meanwhile, has regained control over his duel, but since Keith has begun using his old bag of tricks, this probably won't last for too long. YYH fans will also recognize the Goliath-like return of Bui, who will be dueling later. 

Before I begin this chappie, I would like to, once again, apologize for the innuendo that pervaded the final components of last time, so don't take offense at me for that.

Well, enough talking! Let's sink our teeth into the plot! 

Note: The movie I used will be from Big O.

Chapter 21: Fusion of Time

^Dream Sequence, a movie theater somewhere in Tokyo, 8 years earlier^

Silence. And for an instant, a degree of fear or shock.

In the confines of the spacious yet dank movie theater, a petite young woman, hardly older than 7, stared at the depressing scene with rapt attention. Her eyes, a rare brown speckled with a shade of gray, focused little on anything else save that unsightly red balloon in the audience which seemed to, for some odd reason, fit with the closing picture perfectly. Regardless, her swift, intellectual eyes scanned the final subtitles, from the dying woman torn from the earth by her lover.

_You're so sweet._

This final text dropped with the light, and the credits rolled. The balloon lifted to the ceiling.

As the youthful, yet still ravishing, Kagome Hiragashi exited the theater, clasping her aging father's hand, it occurred to her that perhaps such a depressing yet romantic scene had some kind of semantic foreshadowing hidden therein. For all she knew, some dark presence could be bearing over her as the father and daughter strode out into the overly lit theater lobby. Hidden in her subconscious, waiting to be unlocked, could very well exist a being from a bygone era, whose coming to the universe could plunge her into adventure after adventure, culminating in a torn love, much like the one she had witnessed.

The black forebodings of this short-lived prophecy gave way to the kind naiveté of a young girl. 

Of course, this hidden premonition was not to soon be wiped away by the city's soft hum, it's glaring street lamps shedding insubstantial light into the few dark corners of the earth. However, it was enough to lure her into a fitful slumber, as the colors and sounds of downtown Tokyo swirled and writhed themselves into a massive eddy that even the greatest minds could never comprehend, and from this rift in reality the youth slipped into nothingness, unknowing and yet constantly plunging into the depths of her own mind and soul. 

So came forth the bizarre reappearance in her cramped quarters, hardly able to stay awake, barely capable of any fastidious contemplation. That is, before two voices came from the living room.

One of which was her father's. 

Standing upon her relatively small feet, Kagome thought little about the dangers of such a situation. For ironically enough, she had only a small bearing of what her father did, and even so, she could not recognize the danger of approaching such a meeting. In fact, no one knew precisely what Mr. Hiragashi's line of work involved, but knew just enough to avoid him while conducting it. 

As she moved forward along the confined corridor leading to the family room, Kagome could just barely discern the bulk of the conversation.

"I don't understand! I thought I paid the don just last week! How could he still want a thousand dollars in gold bullion? He knows I don't have that much!"

Aeyasu Hiragashi's worn down voice was followed by another, a deep tenor with a heavy Italian accent. His was a rich, boisterous mannerism, indicated by his speech, but hidden beneath this was a cold, sadistic feeling, like a dark presence in a temple.

"You don't seem to understand, Aeyasu. Don Pavarati needs the money in a way that can't be traced by the bank. Since the gold standard was dropped some time ago, it will be nearly impossible to track it to anyone, even you."

"As true as that might be, I'm afraid that the kind of payment you're suggesting will be nearly impossible to complete! I hardly have anything left of my last payment, and where am I supposed to find a grand's worth of gold?!"

As these words left his mouth, young Kagome stepped into view.

"Look, you stupid pig, you should consider yourself lucky that I'm a reasonable man; if the don was here, you'd be lying in the trunk of my car with a knife in your back. But even I have limits, so listen and listen good! You are going to get me the cash, and it is gonna be before next week, or I swear to God I'll...who's the kid?"

Aeyasu looked in the direction the man was pointing...and saw his daughter.

"Go back to bed, Kagome! Now!"

Shocked by the sight before her, Kagome could not move. 

"Answer the question, Aeyasu! Who's the kid?!"

"Leave her out of this, Danny!"

"God damn it, Hiragashi, you said no one would be here when we held this! How do you know she isn't working for the cops?! Get the kid out, now!"

"Come on, Dan, even you aren't that big of a moron! You know that the cops wouldn't bug her!"

"Oh, so you're gonna be cocky, huh? Well, I guess nobody told you, but no one insults the Pavarati family! Now get her out of this room before things get ugly!"

Aeyasu smiled grimly. "Believe me, things got ugly the second you stepped through that door."

Danny Pavarati, incensed by this underhanded comment, pulled a revolver out of his pocket.

"Alright, motherfucker! It's time you learn some respect for the Mafia! I'm gonna blow your head off, and everyone else's too!"

Time seemed to gain viscosity as each bullet tore through the flesh of Kagome's father, the individual spatters of blood seeming to develop minds of their own as they soared through the air, before splashing against the windows and pooling about the scene. Each shard of steel and lead gored a gigantic exit wound, out of which sprayed countless more globules of life fluid, seeming almost like teardrops as they each struck home.

Some splatters found their way onto Kagome's face, mixing with the saline tears falling as she watched her father die before her very eyes...

^End Dream Sequence^

The _Des Volstgulph_

"You want to _what?!_"

As the chief head of the largest underground criminal organization since the notorious Pavarati mob family from several years ago, Hiei was accustomed to ideas that, as a whole, seemed completely deranged or lacking in common sense. These outrageous schemes, mostly from the less intelligent human operatives that worked for him, were usually passed off by both creator and leader as the moronic tactics that they truly were. Of course, a minute handful of the harebrained stratagems worked perfectly, but that was almost always the exception rather than the rule.

This plan was different in two extreme ways: it was so imbecilic that it could not be ignored, and it also came from a usually reliable source.

"Genkai, do you seriously expect me to follow through with this extraordinary plan of yours, or do you have something better in mind? After all, if this doesn't work out, it will be your head on the plate! Perhaps you could explain to me what you had in mind?"

His lieutenant would not, no, _could _not have devised such an idea of her own will. 

__

Of course, if someone else **is** _pulling the strings, I'll soon find out._

Genkai, an ancient psychic with what could be construed as a deranged streak, was not amused by Hiei's doubts.

"Relax, Hiei. I've already field tested this one, so even with your uncertainties, I can assure you it will be foolproof. In particular, Kaiba's sensitivity will be his own downfall, all due to my own creative thinking."

_Or lack thereof._

" For your sake, I hope that your prediction is correct, but just in case of it's failure..."

From a hidden slot in his back pocket, Hiei extracted what appeared to be a Duel Monsters card. The card had the features of a Normal Monster card, but lacked any indication of attack, defense, level or even a name. All it had was an image: an overly muscular humanoid creature, with a mop of jet black hair and the thin sunglasses to match. The only other features were his hideous green overcoat and a stoic expression.

"I don't think I need remind you of the stakes." Upon testifying his threat, he also unveiled something that, if but for an instant, sent a shard of fear into the shorter, older ally.

In his hands was a pure gold-plated lighter, embossed with a false Sennen eye.

"Over the many years that I have worked with morons like you, I have also learned that, given the proper inducement, anyone can be forced to join me. For Sesshomaru, it was greed. For Yami Bakura, it was power. For you, it is _fear._ And let me assure you, I did not back away from trapping him with the Eye, and I will not get proverbial cold feet in destroying him with it. You see, this fool in my hand has barely any intellect that I can exploit, so his purposes in this tournament are few and far between. As an assassin, he was not to be trusted, for I need my enemies alive. But as a bargaining chip, he has served more purposes than I can ever imagine. So let me lay my ultimatum: if you fail to defeat Kaiba or Yugi with the next two plans in which you are involved, then the soul in my hand..." Just before finishing, Hiei activated the lighter, moving its blue flame inches from the card.

"...will have an accident." 

A multitude of emotions passed behind Genkai's eyes: hatred, fear, pity, perhaps love, but each was barely discernible from the next.

"However, I must congratulate you on one detail." Putting away both articles, he continued to talk. "I could not have done better in selecting the duelist for this job. So go ahead and put your plan into action, if you like, but remember our little agreement. I wouldn't want all the trouble I had to go through to get this be put to waste. Now, get out. _Now!_"

As the psychic walked away, Hiei himself turned towards another operative, one of Sesshomaru's soldiers. 

"As for you, I'm afraid that you have some explaining to do. For as you know, I cannot have a weak duelist on my pay."

This second lieutenant, almost as short as the last, put a cruel grin upon his face as he extracted his own deck from the barely white gauntlet he wore. With a high-pitched, almost squeaky voice that had an effect not unlike the screeching of nails upon a chalkboard, he began his side of the coin. "Do not worry, Master Hiei. Thanks in part to your generous payment, I have procured the ultimate cards that are nearly impossible to overcome, and combined with my latest Insect Princess card combo, I will place Mouto and Wheeler upon the chopping block. And at long last my revenge will come upon their damnable heads! Beyond which, the other opponents will be but lambs fresh for the slaughter!" 

With one hand, Hiei removed a manila folder from one of the filing cabinets. "While such plans are ambitious, I do not think that you are quite ready to face the two that humiliated you. However, this match will be most profitable, and beneficial to all involved."

The grubby hands reached and clamped upon said folder, while at the same time prying it open. "Yusuke Urameshi? You're kidding me, correct? He has got to be the most slow-witted of the dunderheads that you are against! However, his Yata-Garasu will be easy pickings and will greatly enhance my deck!"

"Don't underestimate this one, for his Duel Monsters training comes from one of the great legends of the game, the psychic Genkai. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he was about to defeat the intercontinental Champion himself."

"What makes you say that, my liege?"

"I arranged it to be so."

Yusuke vs. Bandit Keith

"Alright, Urameshi! I've been sitting here listening to your crap long enough, so I'm going to put you in your place once and for all!"

Upon drawing his card, Keith's face seemed to take on, if but for a moment, a crazed expression. "I hope you weren't bent on winning this match, kid, because I'm about to end this with one final combo, for I activate the Magic card, Deepest Impact!" Instantaneously, a torrent of smoldering meteors screamed from the heavens, tearing apart the clouds and creating a vacuum that crushed Yusuke's defense monster to the dirt, a second Giant Soldier of Stone. The creature could only watch as the hellish messengers of doom crashed into the earth and liquefied it even before the full blast of the impact could be made. However, the destruction was not to stop there. As soon as the spectacular stones of the cosmos laid waste to the field, a hail of frozen rock and ice, now superheated by the atmospheric journey, slammed into both duelists at supersonic speed, effectively demolishing their life points in the process. (1625/2000)

_Well, this is certainly a bad area. Let's hope this is the end of his plan._

As Yusuke dragged himself out of the fetal position in which he had found his person, the full extent of the damage caused by Deepest Impact became all too clear.

Engulfing the entire field was what appeared to be a gigantic crater, the center of which was still searing hot from the blast, and littered with the charred remains of the Giant Soldier and several other, unknown creatures. There was little or no life in the impact zone, save for the occasional sprout of exposed fungi emerging from the ashes. 

"You seem a little surprised, Urameshi, so I guess that my latest removal card set you for a reeling shock." Grimacing, Bandit Keith also emerged from his position on the playing field. "Deepest Impact allows me to blow away every monster on both sides of the field with Armageddon-like force. However, there's something of a hitch involved, for by activating this card, both duelists participating lose half of their total life points in the process. But since I still have a monster in my hand, it wouldn't matter anyway. So say hello to my rarest card, the completely invincible Kinetic Soldier!" After Keith placed said card on the duel gauntlet, a bizarre-looking machine appeared: it was partly humanoid in appearance, but completely plated in bluish armor with a hefty face mask. Mounted upon it's shoulder was a double-barreled laser cannon, while its left hand grasped a futuristic assault rifle. (1350/1800) "My best card may have lackluster stats, but whenever it attacks a Warrior subtype beast, it's attack strength is boosted by 2000! But sadly you won't be around to witness that effect, because I will also trigger not one, but two Limiter Removals!" About a thousand strips of blue-green wiring attached themselves to the towering commando, from which coursed several million joules of pure energy. The machine, while it could not feel pain, began to writhe and twitch as it slowly lost any self control, but gained impossible strength from it. (5400/1800)

"Under normal conditions, the Limiter Removal card shuts down any power inhibiters in machines, allowing them to grow to double their original strength. However, since I played two of these Magic cards, my Soldier's attack strength has been quadrupled, meaning that with one attack, I will be able to send you to oblivion! Kinetic Soldier, mount your final attack with Triple Fire Assault!"

Keith's monster began to charge the weapons it possessed with the energy from the Limiter Removal, which in turn began to glow a bright red. As the loading process drew to a close, triple orbs of energy roared in volleys of five towards Keith's opponent, each volley swirling in a tornado of plasma-based firepower.

Yusuke, however, had planned earlier for the attack.

"Too bad, Keith, but I'm afraid that this duel is far from won! Activate the Trap Card, Nutrient Z! Since the Kinetic Soldier's attack would normally cause over 2000 damage, the effect of the Nutrient Z grants me 4000 extra life points just before the attack goes through!"

Keith, while perturbed that his plan had failed, was still in a good situation. "Actually, the duel is still mine; even with the Nutrient Z protecting you from the brunt of the attack, you'll still be reduced to a mere 600 life points! So no matter what you do, this duel is as good as done!" Upon the Nutrient Z resolving, the multiple bombardment crashed into what remained of Yusuke's life point count, the searing fires not unlike those that Dante experienced in his path through Hell, and unable to withstand the scorching powers any longer, Yusuke crashed face first into the earth. (1625/600)

_I suppose that this is the end. Even if I can draw something capable of taking down his machines, I'll still only have a paltry 600 point count. So if he can get something that I can't defeat, it's over. _

Deep within the confines of Yusuke's mind roared an all too familiar voice that he had not heard in over a year. The gravelly, aging croak of one who had been embittered by countless years of hardship.

_*Get on your feet, you worthless moron!*_

It...it can't be...

*Do you mean to tell me that I wasted the best years of my life on training you, simply so that you could just sit back on your fat ass and watch life trample you? Is this the dimwitted buffoon that is supposed to carry on my legacy? If you're going to give up in a simple game of Duel Monsters, what's to say you won't give up on everything else?*

Genkai! What are you doing here?

Within the innermost chambers of his mind appeared the minute figure of his mentor and unstable ally.

*_I leave you alone for a year or two, and this is my reward! Look at you! If I was in charge, this duel would have been over in five turns less than the botched up job you're doing!*_

C'mon, Genkai, this is the Intercontinental Champion we're talking here! I've seen this guy take down people on Kaiba's level!

* That is such bull and you know it! I'm sick to death of your god damn excuses, so I'm gonna come right out and say it: you have got to be the biggest moron I have ever known! You've let Keith regain control of this duel in less time than it took you to do the same!*

Yusuke had been insulted and jeered by his teacher for so long that these comments had little effect on him. Of course, given the circumstances, it might have been wise to listen. 

_Look, you old hag, I don't care what it takes. I'm gonna break this guy to pieces on my next turn, so don't try and stop me. You know as well as I do that Keith is about to lose his final defense unless he can negate the Limiter Removal aftermath effect. So either way, I can't lose._

*But what if you do?*

Genkai, I'm dueling in this tournament using your old deck and the training you gave me, so at the very least you should give me some kind of credit. If it hadn't been for your training, I wouldn't have gotten this far! I don't really give a damn about why you decided to show up in my brain, but let me make this clear: I CAN'T LOSE!

*Alright, then. If you really want to run headfirst into annihilation, far be it for me to stop you. But remember this: the tournament in which you are participating is for the highest possible stakes, so you cannot be defeated. Also keep in mind that Hiei has Keiko in his control. Just consider every consequence before attacking.* Genkai turned her back on the apprentice she had gruelingly trained for over a year, and vanished into the void. Yusuke, meanwhile, stepped back into the reality of the universe.

What he saw was unlike anything that had ever occurred around him before.

The once glorious Kinetic Soldier, which had only an instant ago been at the zenith of it's might, was struggling with the power with which it had been endowed. Every synapse of it's artificial being was twisting and cracking under the immense pressure the energy that was being exacted upon them, as the metal that was the bulk of the creature began to melt into rivulets of molten iron and zinc. The weapons that had once given the soldier incomprehensible force were leaking an acidic, pungent fluid that only fused with the metallic pool at the foot of the playing field, while at the same time leaking into the faceplate of the bionic warrior. The very monster began to claw away at the shield which was now causing him a pain unmatched by any other, before or after it's demise, yet at long last the mask gave way to a face. 

The features were not in any way unique, a Caucasian male with a slightly prominent forehead. His mouth was slack and partially reddened from the blood foaming out of it's mouth. The skin was the only unusual thing, with a pallor to match the clouds above. 

But it was his eyes that affected Yusuke the most: wide and ever-seeking, as though looking for an answer to the life it never lead, the people it never meet, the purpose it never had. Deep, innocent, yet somewhere within a history of betrayal and mistrust.

The same eyes that Yukina had...on the day of her execution. They captivated him, up until they too melted into nothing, until the pool of liquefied steel faded into nothing. 

"What's wrong, kid? The little show just now too intense for ya?"

Keith, who had played his entire hand, with one card facedown, began to drum his fingers on a nearby wall. His gruesome eyes had already began to show signs of boredom, as he anxiously waited for Yusuke to strike. 

"Well, get used to it, for that kind of thing can be customary in the game of Duel Monsters, as well as regular life itself. And if anyone tells you another story, I'd get out of their path soon, 'cause they're either a blatant liar, or some head-case looking for kicks. You know as well as I do that life doesn't hand you happiness on a fricken' gold plate, and judging from your sad state, I'm guessing that you were force fed crap your whole pathetic life, so don't expect anything but a pile of shit waiting to get you trapped. Besides, do you really expect that the rest of the world will give you respect because you beat some nut to a pulp or won a few lousy duels? I don't know what world you live in, but here on Earth, you have to work for the world's respect!"

"Are you done?"

With one additional card in his hand, Yusuke began staring at Bandit Keith with unbridled hatred.

"You know, Keith, I'm getting really sick of listening to how every second of your life was a tragedy. Every second of this duel I've had to listen to you whine to nobody about how bad your life sucks. Well, I'm about to shut you up _once and for all_!

"I'll start this by getting rid of that face down card of yours with one of the most powerful cards in my deck, the Mystical Space Typhoon!" From behind the face down card emerged a controlled black hole, lined with electrical charges that lanced onto the imposing item. The card was dragged into the swirling vortex and was shredded to bits. "Finally , I'll settle this duel for good with the Asura Priest!" 

From the same multitude of lights that spawned the Yamata Dragon came a second Spirit Monster, a six-armed, Vishnu-like creature with a cape of blood-red, hosts of gaudy decorations cast of gold, and what looked like a second head jutting out of the back of the original. (1700/1200)

"What?!"

"You may as well surrender now, you filthy bastard. As you can see, you have absolutely nothing on the field or in your hand that can defend you from the power of my divine Spirit, and since you have less than 1700 life points, I can end this in one move. Do you give up? Too late! Asura Priest, use your Multiple Dagger attack to mount a direct assault on the sleaze's life points!"

Just like the command decreed, six individual, foot-long knives appeared in the peculiar specter's outstretched hands, all of which were used to focus the spiritual power of the field around them. This resulted in each blade glowing an incandescent blue, while constantly becoming increasingly jagged and laced with a bizarre green energy. With this ritual completed, the Priest leapt forth and plunged the daggers into Keith's heart...every single one of them. (0/600)

Yami's Hotel Room

It was with a forced smile that Yami looked at the five cards and the tournament key that his duel with Yami Bakura had yielded him, as each one stared up at it's new master, and far from the hands of Hiei. The Puppetmaster, Temple of the Kings, Dark Necrofear, Dark Sanctuary, and the most powerful, the slightly unnerving Fickle Magician. Each had, in its own way, a sentimental connection to the Pharaoh, as though they were merely the figureheads of a prize much greater. The key, on the other hand, had some significance, as it brought him one step closer to the ultimate duel, and perhaps, a final answer to the questions that had burned within him for so long, and so he slipped each into a fitting spot in his deck, while the key was pocketed snugly.

More crying in the background, but this time it was softer, more dignified, but still quite capable of tearing apart any heartstring. In fact, it was such a discreet sound that her very tears could be heard pattering against the pillow.

Yami, however, was more fixated with her person than the moans that seemed to become her. Unable to control it any longer, he began to stroke her fevered head , peppered with small, insignificant scars, yet whilst he did this his hands struck something upon the pillow. 

It was a small, minimally gilded platinum locket.

Materializing next to him was the vessel he shared a body with, Yugi Mouto. He, too, was silenced by the piece of jewelry which his darker half had found. "What do you think it means? In the description that Inuyasha gave me, he never mentioned this thing before. Maybe it's something personal that he wanted to keep secret."

Yami sat back down, his fingers following the lines etched and embossed in the precious metallic surface. "I don't think that this is something that he's ever seen before, because from what I've seen of him, something this valuable isn't something he wouldn't mention. He's too much of a blowhard and a braggart to keep this hidden. Perhaps he didn't talk about this because he never saw it before, but what I can't understand is why something as small as a locket would be kept a secret for this lengthy a time..."

"Well, if you'd care to put it down, I'd be happy to explain it."

The ancient resident started with a degree of befuddlement, but placed the article neatly upon the side table. Looking towards the bed, he saw that Kagome had finally lifted herself from bed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that this was important to you."

"It's alright; nobody really figured that I'd kept this thing for as long as I did." Also looking in the direction of the speaker, she laid eyes for the first time on her speaker. "I guess that you're the Pharaoh that everyone's been talking about. You really do look a lot like Yugi Mouto. But of course, that's to be expected, considering you two share the same body."

"As strange as it is to find somebody that figured my identity out, I must say I'm a little pleased. Maybe now I can finally get to know someone a little better. At any rate, I'm glad to see that you've woken up; I was really worried for a little while."

"Well, that's a first. I've been hanging around Inuyasha for so long that I've hardly known anyone capable of human feeling."

Had there been an outside party taking careful observation, it is assured that they would have seen Yami blush.

"I can't take all the credit; Yugi's been helping me get used to the normal role in life since I've been locked away in a puzzle for over a thousand years. But then again, I have been able to get him out of some tough spots, too. And you don't really give Inuyasha enough gratitude either. I've heard he's entering this tournament to avenge your fall."

_And for obvious reasons._

"So, what's the story behind this locket? It's pretty well crafted, but it must mean a lot to you if it was kept hidden for as long as it was."

Kagome sighed slightly, as she fiddled with the old cord that held it to her. "It's something of a long story. Maybe you don't want to hear it; it's got a lot to do with my father, Aeyasu, and what destroyed him." 

"It's all right." Yami stepped forward and held her hand in his. "I've had problems with my father before; even when I was a child he would always beat me into submission, trying to prepare me for the Monarchy. It's a terrible thing to endure that kind of thing, especially when no one is willing to support you." The blush became more concentrated, while his free hand started to tremble.

The reincarnation of the Priestess Kikyo, however, could not bring herself about to talk about the man's shortcomings. "You see, I didn't even know my father for as long as you must have. In fact, if it wasn't for me, he'd probably still be alive. But of course, this isn't the case.

"For as long as anyone in my family can remember, my dads side of the family had been devoted to any kind of job that they could find, even if it was something that was generally frowned upon. My father's job, however, was something of an exception. He despised every second of the work he did, yet constantly pushed himself to bolster his zeal in the field he operated. Despite this, it was an unusual day when he actually returned home smiling."

"What was your father's profession?"

"Simply put, he was a lackey for the Mafia, and an especially prominent one at that. Even when he was starting out the intelligence bureaus were suspicious of him. And the things he did made him a hated character, but mostly with one man, Danny Pavarati."

_WHAT THE HELL?! DANNY PAVARATI?!_

Yami was, for a second more, distracted by Yugi's unexpected outburst.

"I'm afraid that I don't know who this man is, but judging from my incarnates reaction, he wasn't a person to offend."

"You don't know the half of it. Danny Pavarati could possibly have been the most powerful don in all of Japan, but when I knew him he was one of the bodyguards of the infamous Don Pavarati. But during this time and for a while afterwards he rarely appeared in public except when meeting with a contact like Aeyasu; in this way he could avoid any major authorities for as long as was needed. However, Danny had one major weakness, which would eventually prove to be his undoing, he was suspect of everyone around him, and would fly into violent fits if anyone crossed his organization. So when my father insulted him..."

Unable to proceed with the tale anymore, the younger woman collapsed onto the bed and started crying again.

Yami, who had been studying the locket for some time now, realized what should have been obvious from the very beginning: the locket was a gift from her dad, most likely just before the murder. With this in mind he reached forward and held Kagome close to him.

"I'm sorry about the locket again, but I didn't know the history behind it, or how much it reminded you of your parents. You see, I have only the fleeting recollection of my mother, for she died when I was born, and my father I would much rather forget. I know that it's hard for you to realize this, but you're one of the lucky ones; at least you actually knew what it was like to be loved and cared for. As for me, I never had the slightest idea of what a family really was, and as I whiled away the years I realized something else; my only true love died before me, and I had to live like that for the rest of my life..."

Before Yami could complete his sentence, Kagome leaned forward and kissed him softly.

"Not anymore."

NP Trade District

_This couldn't have worked out better if I'd planned it myself._

The infamous Seto Kaiba could not help but grin as he removed himself from the bowels of the New Paradigm Sundry Emporium, with new cards in his deck and a song in his heart. This was an exceptional day for him, considering the fact that for trading a Chain Destruction, one of his least powerful traps, he had gained 10 of the most powerful Magic, Trap, and Monster cards in the game, most impressive of which was the legendary Beldes the Fire Dragon, as well as the Seat Perilous, both from the promotional Pendragon series. This 20 card set had been designed by a joint effort from both Maximillion Pegasus and the British Royal family to capture the wonder of the tales of Camelot of yore, and 5 cards of the set were awarded to each finalist in the European Grand Prix.

Of course, these additions were not the only cards that he had gained from this set.

Yet as Kaiba strolled along the plebeian masses with the gait of nobility incarnate, his focus had drifted from the walk and the cards to something that would seem completely useless compared to everything he had gained on that day, yet seemed to mean the world to him: a delicately carven, gold laced silver ring set with a brilliant ruby. Although said jewelry was easily worth thousands of dollars without the priceless stone inset therein, the gross worth of his dueling deck was easily in the 5 million dollar range without his God Card. And yet this intricate piece of work was clasped by the CEO of the corporation he had dragged out of the dirt as though it was a piece of the Cross itself.

No one could figure it out, but the answer is obvious if the events of the day are studied closely enough.

_I don't know if this is the right time or place to use this thing, but I do know that Hiei has been keeping an eye on all of us, especially Yugi and Botan. His is a psychosis so great that it's completely impossible to determine how he'll strike or even if he will, and I can't take the chance of waiting any longer, so if I'm going to do this, it will have to be soon._

Sentimentality aside, I have learned at least one thing today: postpone love at your own peril. 

Kaiba had never been one to lose focus of a situation in which he was involved, but his head was clouded with innumerable thoughts, philosophies, and ponderings that he had never activated since his childhood. It was because of this that he didn't see the half-dead man in front of him...up until he trod on him.

"_Can I help you, sir?!"_

The youthful businessman stepped back with a degree of shock as the injured human stood on weak knees, spewing out what could be easily described as a black blood all over the pavement. Kaiba could barely discern his physical appearance, but he seemed to be a lean-built man in his late teen years, perhaps a little over twenty, with brown eyes and the hair to match, although the latter was slightly disheveled. But what was truly bizarre was his form of dress, a midnight blue kimono with a black obi, as well as a tattered bandage encompassing the right hand, and snapped in half next to him was a thin staff.

Kaiba knelt down next to him, which was normally out of his character; however, the entire day had been a unique one for him. "May I ask what happened to you just now? Whoever did this to you seems to have several inner difficulties to perform an act this brutal."

"Believe me, this was no ordinary assault; right about now I'm feeling aches in places that should never feel that kind of thing."

The more refined man returned to his original position on the street, and began to search his deck for spots to place his latest cards in. "It seems to me that the wounds upon you aren't as serious as they could have been, but just in case, I can get you some form of transportation to get you out of here. From the hell I've had to experience, I've developed something of an eye for bad situations like this. But in the meantime, I have somebody to meet, so you can come with me until that's finished."

"Don't worry about that, Mr. Kaiba; I've learned enough in my journeys to figure out solutions to this. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, the pain was worth it." 

The lecherous grin that crossed the man's face would have brought about an inert wrath from the super-powerful tycoon...if a gigantic pipe hadn't crashed upon his head first.

"If I ever hear that damn voice again I'll personally make that Windtunnel of yours look like a damn paper cut...oh, hello, Seto."

The caked blood and semi-demented smile that Botan was bearing was more than enough to confirm what Kaiba had suspected the entire time. From what he knew about her, he had deduced that she was never one to take a problem sitting down. 

"Hey, Botan. I'm glad to see you're okay. This guy, on the other hand..."

The perpetually facetious expression that had become a part of her personality was dropped for one of pure hatred.

"Oh, you mean that pervert, Miroku. Yeah, I did that to him."

_Miroku? Right, the overly sexual monk that the dog demon kept complaining about._

"Wait a minute, he didn't touch you, did he?"

"The little bastard was walking right next to me when he started grabbing me and asking if I could bear his child."

Kaiba turned his attention to the cowering monk, who had just started to run.

"Where're you going, punk? I'm not done _attending _to you yet! In fact, I was just warming up for the real fail-safe!" Grasping him by the right arm, Kaiba hurled the man into a brick wall with such force that the mortar splintered, rendering Miroku stunned.

"Let me tell you something, and I'd listen if you don't want this to happen again. If there is one thing that I can't stand, it's a lecherous person, and the fact that you work for any kind of priesthood makes me want to beat the living shit out of you all the more. And if some son of a bitch touches any one in my family, I hunt them down and throw them into complete ruin, or out a window. So understand this: you touch her ass, and I'll break yours. Got it, punk?"

Silence again, and as Miroku began to fear for what little life he had left, some shard of memory slipped in.

"Okay, but I have a proposition for you."

"Let's hear it."

"Seto Kaiba, I challenge you to a match of Duel Monsters, for I myself," and as he said this he revealed a Duel Gauntlet just slightly whiter than Kuwabara's, "have been deemed worthy to compete."

"Very well, then. But if I win, you will not only have to surrender the rarest card and key you possess, as well as apologize to Botan for the violation you committed, but you will surrender all information you have on a man called Sesshomaru."

"You have my word, Kaiba. But let me assure you, I will not lose!" (4000/4000)

To Be Continued

Is it just me, or are my chapters getting longer each time? Well, I have more stuff to cover now, so that could explain it.

Next chapter will commence the duel between Kaiba and Miroku, but is the Peeping Tom merely a pawn in Hiei's plans? Yusuke and Joey will meet up, and Weevil shows his face to challenge the detective. Yami, meanwhile, is about to go up against the dreaded Kagura, so can Naraku be far behind? Roger Smith also stirs up trouble when he has to face Red Destiny, who has entered this tourney for reasons of her own. And Espa Roba returns with a whole new deck, and a replacement Machine to take Jinzo's place.

Remember, read, review, but please don't flame. 


	23. Conflicting Darkness

Disclaimer: See others.

Okay, it's time to start this chapter up, and with luck, it will only improve. But for those of you getting in now, this is a recap of last time. 

Last chapter began Kaiba's duel with the lecherous monk Miroku, whose current alliances are clouded in mystery. Genkai is also introduced, as are her reasons for siding with Hiei. Yami and Kagome also share the story of their childhood, while at the same time their relationship takes flight. 

This chapter will heat up the duel between Kaiba and Miroku, as well as throw in a few all-too-familiar faces. This chapter will also introduce Roger Smith's first duel, and next chapter Inuyasha starts to ponder Yami's role with Kikyo. Weevil will show his ugly face too, as will a dark new enemy for both sides of the proverbial coin... 

One more thing, in response to SoulofSaturn's review. It will be a Yami/Kagome pairing. But I doubt Inuyasha will find out 'till next chapter, which is also when he'll start his match. And Botan's deck is comprised mostly of shoujo and Zombie cards.

Here are some new Original Cards from Time Mage. Feel free to send more!

Chain to Rivaling Souls: (Trap)- When a monster is destroyed in battle, revive one monster from each players Graveyard onto your field, and lower their attack points by 500. You must discard one card from your hand if you wish to sacrifice these monsters, one card for each. 

Grave Spell: (Trap)- During your opponent's turn, activate a magic or trap card in your own Graveyard. After the card effect is resolved, remove that card and this one from play. 

Soul Crosswire: (Trap)- When one of your monsters is destroyed, pay 1000 Life Points to special summon one monster from your deck and Graveyard, both must be level four or lower. 

Immortality: (Continuous Magic)- Whenever a monster is destroyed by your opponent, it is revived next turn with half its attack points. 

Chapter 22: Conflicting Darkness

Speakeasy Tavern, Downtown New Paradigm

The door was rotting to pieces. In nearly every window, the thick stained glass was splintered or broken, the latter of which was poorly covered with cheap plywood. In the threshold leading into the bar, a filthy old hobo was leafing through a dirty magazine while pouring cheap liquor down his throat. From some large holes in the walls, anyone with decent eyesight could see overturned tables, rusted fans, shorted-out lights, and a foul looking bartender unloading his entire wallet into the hands of some prostitute. In the higher levels of the place was pulsing some God-forsaken music while the screams of aggravated couples said their last goodbyes. While all of this was happening, a sleazy-looking junkie was crashing onto the hood of a car from a window ten stories up.

But, if one looked close enough, he or she could faintly discern a man in his late forties calmly reading a newspaper, while occasionally nursing the scotch on the rocks next to him. Every so often he would press onto his rather protuberant left ear, as if listening to some hidden broadcast, which was a fairly accurate statement. The eccentric-looking man constantly observed the slightest actions of everything and everyone within his fairly poor eyesight, while his free hand thumbed the pages shakily, while a deep paper-cut had begun to form from the years which he had held the text.

It was this peculiar barfly that the Negotiator had come to call upon.

It had been over almost six years since the legendary Roger Smith had passed the threshold of the Speakeasy Tavern last, and it was a troubled time for everyone therein. As the lodge...and the city that bore it...burned about them, that man had not moved once to escape, even as the ceiling crumbled away, leaving the density of the reinforced concrete to come tumbling down upon anyone unfortunate enough to get caught within. He did not scream, shout, or cry as all collapsed into Hell, as the two giants of the non-secular realms clashed for a final time. No one did see what had happened to him that day, nor did anyone care. All they saw were the two titans, Cronus and Jupiter, clashing against each other for one last time. Like a clash of two storms the two fought, and while the events of New Paradigm had not been released unto the world, this battle of titans could be called a foreboding omen, a sign of things to come. Yet no one knew the truth of Big Ear, not even the man himself, and it was this lack of knowledge that had made the world forget him, as it had forgotten everything else. 

Smith moved into the tavern, stepping over the filthy vagabond and picking up a cracked glass from the bar. The supervisor was gone, upstairs most likely, and from above unholy sounds floated down, all while the mediator of an era past filled the dirty glass with an old beer that no one wanted, and emptied the mug into a roach infested sink nearby. 

_This city had once been grand, even after the Event that wiped the world away, but now it has been reduced to nothing, a shell of power under the control of a madman. Beck is dead, Dorothy is lying in some heap of metal at the bottom of the sea, and Norman is still looking for my remains. And in all of these events, at least one thing has stayed the same. There is Big Ear, with a blank expression on his face as always, listening to the talk of officials and terrorists, but can he possibly help me destroy the satanic power that has this place in a chokehold? And more importantly, does he know of the so-called truth that Schwarzvald has been ranting about this whole time?_

Within his mind thousands of ponderings and philosophical queries took control, spinning like a heretic top, screaming in him to bow before the knees of the devil like a frightened lapdog. A plethora of images had begun to float through his addled mind, sending wave upon wave of irrational emotion, be it the joy of winning his first duel, or the terror of facing the Big Duo for the first time. The scenes that were fusing with him the most were those of his father, crying tears of blood as he lay dead in the heart of an enigmatic Megadeus, innumerable cards flowing from his hands onto the steel floor. 

The very same cards that Roger had in his deck.

"It's been a long time, Roger Smith. But I figured that in this chaotic tournament you would come to see me."

Breaking through the psychotic slide show in Roger's mind was a grizzled old voice from the man sitting beside him.

"Too long, in my opinion. Even six years of sitting here haven't worn you down. This place, on the other hand, hasn't turned out too well for it." Smith extracted a cast iron hip flask and took a long, messy swig, much unlike the old, refined Negotiator. "Has the city council itself changed much? I know for a fact that Rosewater managed to escape with his life."

Big Ear continued looking forward, a grim smile making itself visible as he did so. 

"Didn't you figure it out yet, you poor fool? The council was disbanded about four years ago, when Rosewater tried to set himself up as an absolute monarch." As he said this, he continued to nurse the warm liquor in his hand, while watching the opulent and the middle class toss petty alms to the slobs out front, who in turn pulled knives out and fell upon them. Ignoring the subsequent gunshots, he continued his informative rant. "Around a year and a half after the Renaissance of Paradigm, as these people refer to the reparation of the city, Rosewater finally returned to his seat in the council, and proposed a grandiose plan, which you have already seen accomplished. His radical idea was ill received, and before long the other members signed a petition forcing him to resign the post to which he had become accustomed."

Roger, for a pregnant moment, began to reflect on the despotic Alex Rosewater, the very same man who had constantly teetered on the brink of complete mental breakdown, so desperate for power that he attempted to supplant himself as God so long ago. It had been five years later to the day that Smith returned to the shattered remnants of Paradigm City, the skeletal Domes still hanging overhead, shattered glass and shattered dreams lingering about the place, burnt corpses now nothing but leathery skin and bone. The only thing still standing was the Megadeus, a taciturn sentinel for the ages, joints rusted and beyond repair. The barrel from Big O's final attempt at salvation, jutting from an outcrop of sediment, was still there as well. And footprints everywhere in the ashen snow, soaked with long-dried blood and heavy with the stench of death.

Big Ear placed the newspaper down, and rubbed his bloodshot eyes as more screams came from the floors. His eyes wandered to the corner, where a little pale-haired girl in a similar colored gown lay sleeping, the ornamental mirror and gruesome spider tattoo upon her back hidden completely. Returning to the conversation, the older man stared directly at the floor.

"Rosewater was reported to have gone completely insane at this point; it's said around some of the older parts of town that he sold all of his stock in Paradigm Corporation and fled the city, but before he did, Alex locked away his plans in a safety deposit box in his suite. No one could figure out the lock; it was a twenty-five-digit combination, and some say that the poor moron took it to the grave.

"A few weeks went by, and for a while people forgot that Rosewater even existed, but somehow he crossed the borders...with an entire militia at his disposal. He easily overthrew what remained of the police force, and in its place he established a totalitarian rule, in which he was Emperor. Soon afterwards, the entire population was carted off to a hidden plain in the mountains, and all entered the sky fortress that was New Paradigm City. Anything else, save Rosewater's murder, is merely speculation. What is known is that New Paradigm was a complete remake of the first Paradigm...including Soldano's first, and rather terrible project. It's rumored that she is in this tournament as we speak, so if I were you, I'd find the others."

"Which project was it?"

"Soldano thought he had created the ultimate killing machine; cold, ruthless, exact, and brutal. It's somewhat ironic that the monstrosity was based on his own daughter. The project name was a rather bizarre one, too."

Yet Roger knew exactly what project Big Ear was talking about, a God-forsaken murderer that even to that very day it gave him nightmares just thinking of it.

_R.D. Red Destiny._

Smith jumped out of his seat, reaching into his pocket to extract the proper funds, but the informant shook his head.

"Don't worry, it's on the house this time. After all, you were the first to prove me wrong."

"How so?"

"I was incorrect in thinking the sun would never rise in Paradigm again."

Top Floor, Twin Star Apartment Complex

Anyone that had ever been in the highest reaches of Tanzanite Avenue's most opulent housing complexes knew full well that it was easily the most colorful area in the floating city.

A diffusion of local and distant cultures had always been ensconced in the city during it's youth, from poor and downtrodden refugees to the world's prestigious businessmen, each contributing a small but meaningful piece of the customs and practices, which would eventually become part of the regular goings-on of the city. And although the Rosewater regime had been responsible for mass persecution in past years, the restructuring and reformation of the infrastructure of the city laid to ruin the ghettos and projects of the years of antiquity, and every day the masses would celebrate this embrace of difference...in the form of wild, almost uncontrollable orgies for which the area became known. In fact, every week there would be a party for Lucrezia Tanzanite, the politician and reformer for whom the avenue was named. But every chance that was given, the true ruler of New Paradigm, Hiei, ended these revelries in a vast, sacrificial riot that paid tribute to him in blood. The occurrence today, however, was not a sacrifice.

No. It was only a massacre.

As innumerable human carcasses decomposed under the broiling sun of high altitudes and ribbons and other paraphernalia burned to the heavens, a lone figure stood in the midst of the grim genocide, wielding a massive pike soaked in every one of the four humors. In his other hand was a freshly hewn skull, stringy with what remained of the muscles, long since stripped away by age and a sadistic hand. On occasion he extracted several cards from the eviscerated forearms of his enemies; an opportunity to improve his deck was never wasted, even after a slaughter like this. 

There was absolutely no emotion upon the face of this mysterious psychotic, and even if there was one, no one would have seen it this high up, nor would he allow anyone. It was without remorse that he committed Caligula-like deeds such as these and it was with no shame that he looted the cadavers of his lambs.

_The half-witted morons had no idea_ _what was coming. All they did was party, long into the eve, unaware as always that even to this day, unpitying things still lurk in the shadows, waiting to drag them all into the abyss._

The traces of a manic grin crossed the man's face, slightly disfiguring his otherwise noble bearing. Dark, maddened eyes scanned the landscape to which he had become accustomed for the years he had spent here, wandering the darkness, hunting, much like his rival, for the power of God.

The problem was that this power lay in the hands of his ultimate enemy.

"It's almost time. After nearly 600 years of imprisonment I will finally have the power to cast away the yoke of oppression, burn away my competition, and at long last break away the shackles of my mirror image. While the Void watches the events of the city and the Wind propels my opponents into the darkness, I, the true Shadow King, will at long last reclaim the Throne that should have been mine by blood.

"HIEI! I know that you can sense my presence here! I know every aspect of your plan! I have determined how to overwhelm you, and soon, I shall supplant you and wield the power of the Four Souls that was destined to be my own! Soon every one of you, the Spirit Ruler, the Ancient King, the Priestess Kikyo, you shall all fear my name!"

Bending down, the entity summoned the dark energy of the miasma, and using its corrosive power burned his forename into the asphalt. A simple name, but one that had struck terror into the hearts of men around the world, varied in cultures but feared by all.

_Naraku._

Kaiba vs. Miroku

Seto Kaiba drew first, and with a degree of empowerment as he did so. He already had a powerful low-level monsters in his hand, along with one of his best Magic cards. Apparently fortune had been good to him, considering the fourth card in his hand: what looked like a Ritual Monster, but required neither spell or ceremony to be called upon. Even from his hand it looked intimidating, in a position much like the much weaker Summoned Skull, as well as a heavily built frame, cruel crimson eyes, wings that could reach over 100 feet if stretched out.

_The most powerful monster in my entire deck. Obelisk the Tormentor. With this one card I have defeated more opposition than the Ultimate Dragon itself, and soon that damnable monk will know it's great power. But I must be cautious in using it, for who can tell what kind of power Miroku has at his disposal?_

"I shall begin by placing one card face down, followed immediately by the summon of Sapphire Dragon in Attack mode!" The mighty creature soared down from the sky and planted itself onto the field, gleaming with a sapphire sheen befitting it's name. (1900/1600) For an instant, Kaiba had considered discarding his present hand and resurrecting the Dark Colossus later but decided against it. "That will conclude my turn."

With a grin upon his features similar to Kaiba's, Miroku drew his first card as well. Before he could make a move, however, a slightly chilling voice echoed in his head.

*_Listen to me. His card on the field is nothing compared to what is in his hand. If anything, do not, I repeat, _DO NOT_ let him get three monsters on the field, and if possible, get rid of his present hand. If you don't...*_

Understood. Miroku began to examine his hand, looking for a way to get rid of his enemy's hand, even though he wasn't completely sure what was in there. The youthful duelist had not seen any component of Kaiba's deck before, so he decided to go on the attack, and in more ways then one. "I will also play two cards facedown, followed by the summon of Jowgen the Spiritualist in Attack mode!" The grandly dressed priest stood ready in golden robes, with a simple staff nearby. "Next, I shall activate the Magic Card, Creature Swap, allowing both players to select a monster on the opponent's side of the field, and control is switched! But since there are only two monsters on the field, I'll get what I want anyway!" Jowgen and the Dragon walked over to each other's side of the field, and stood at position, each still glaring at each other. "Now, Dragon, use Crystalline Force to send Jowgen to an early grave!"

Kaiba, however, had seen this coming.

"I thought that you would try something like this, so I shall activate Windstorm of Etaqua!" From the Trap card screamed a massive cyclonic funnel of wind that began to create huge amount of air pressure, forcing the Dragon to bow into defense mode seconds before it could attack. As the winds died away, Kaiba stared down his enemy with cold malice. "This unique trap allows me to force your face-up monsters into the reverse position of the one they are in, meaning that your Dragon, placed into defense mode, could not launch an attack on me, while Jowgen remains unharmed, at least until my next turn." 

"Fine. I shall place two more cards face down and my turn will cease. I do hope that you understand the situation in which you are in does not guarantee victory for you, and very soon your arrogance will be checked, while I continue onto the finals. As for you, Botan, I would begin to prepare as well. My genetics will continue to move forward, and I frankly don't care through whom..." If the man had anything else to say, it was quickly cut short, as will most rants when a chunk of concrete is tossed at one's head. Obviously Kaiba had been offended by the snide remark.

"I'd rather you keep your perversions to yourself, if you don't mind. And if you actually think that you can defeat me, you are sorely mistaken. So watch out! I'll begin my turn by activating this Magic Card, Cost Down! This allows me to discard a card from my hand, thereby lowering the levels of all monsters in my hand by two for the duration of the turn; I will then sacrifice your Jowgen to summon from my hand Beldes, Champion of the Dragons in attack mode!" Emerging onto the field was a massive, serpent-like wyrm, scores of yards in length, with iron-gray scales about as thick as a vault's walls and wickedly curved talons upon each of its 6 feet, tipped in a marbled gold unlike any seen before. The dragon's wingspan totaled about 20 feet, with each tip of the hollowed frame sporting a razor-edged spike, covered with bronze. The head seemed to be a combination of Oriental and European styles, with spiral horns that were as black as night. Mounted on the neck of this great reptile sat a humanoid creature, wearing armor crafted of the finest platinum formed in the Templar style, while in one hand he wielded a massive trumpet, as the other gripped the reins leading to the dragon's mouth. (2650/2350) 

"What is that monstrosity!?"

"This dragon will lead to your ultimate demise, for by summoning this beast in the normal fashion, I am allowed to access one of two effects, and I choose the ability to special summon another dragon in my hand with six stars or less! And thanks in part to the Cost Down I played earlier, I can summon this without impunity! Soon, Miroku, you shall experience the wrath of many people in your life, but until then, the wrath of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon will have to suffice! Beldes, bring forth the creature I have named!"

Lifting the horn to his chapped lips, the dragon rider played a bizarre tune, almost like a crudely played Requiem, and as he did so, his mount roared a deep, throaty version of the exact same melody. Both suzerain and vassal played with all of their might, as they began to glow white, to represent the archetype of the monster summoned. And for an instant nothing happened.

But only for an instant.

From thousands of feet above the Earth, a mighty creature roared in response to the summons, and a vast shadow fell over the field, spreading fear into the lesser of the two dragons, and respect in the greater. This shadow grew in size, and a faintly draconic shape appeared, and from this appeared a messenger, a fusion of light and darkness. Clad in silver armor, and with a wingspan double that of Beldes, the creature lifted it's massive head to its full height, opening and closing it's great maw. With it's cold cerulean eyes it scanned the field, and once it fell upon Miroku, it gave another frightening roar.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon. A true example of power, and one of only three. (3000/2500)

"Do you fear now, lecherous one? Before you stand two mighty creatures, both powerful enough to fell the dragon you so stupidly wrested from my grasp, and even if you can destroy the Blue-Eyes, it will be avenged by it's brethren! Even as we speak my army prepares, to trample Hiei or whoever else stands against me! So go ahead and try to stop my assault, if you dare to try!" 

"Very well. I activate my face down card, Gravity Bind! Using the powers of physics I will crush your dragons! That is because the might of Gravity Bind stops all monsters with over 3 stars from attacking, my own included. Their positions of attack, however, may still be altered. Once again, Kaiba, your arrogance has blinded you from the duel, and even as we speak I have already prepared a plan for your inevitable demise. All I need do is draw one card, and victory will be mine!" But before Miroku could continue, Kaiba activated a card.

"Reveal Mystical Space Typhoon! This Magic card allows me to wipe away any magic or trap card on the field, and guess what I've selected? Typhoon, destroy the chains that bind my dragons, so that they may cast final judgment upon the bastard before them!" The glowing chains of Gravity Bind gave way to lightning and wind, and soon Kaiba's beasts were free to strike.

"Go Seto! Crush him into the ground!" _This is amazing! I've never once seen anyone duel like this before. It's like his entire mind is locked onto victory, and when he's got something to fight for, he almost seems to put his soul into the fray. This isn't the heartless creep that the others made him out to be; this is someone entirely different..._

Back on the field of battle, Kaiba stared at both great monsters, each fully prepared to launch the attacks that would seal his victory. _Soon, Hiei. It won't be long before I shed the light upon you and everyone in your organization, and like the Blue Eyes prepares to destroy Miroku, so do I ready myself for the final battle against you. And it won't be long before I bury this chapter and return home with Botan, and I finally know happiness..._

"DAMN IT, MIROKU! ONLY TWO PEOPLE HAVE EVER DEFEATED ME BEFORE, AND YOU WILL NOT JOIN THEIR RANKS! BELDES, CHAMPION OF THE DRAGONS, DESTROY HIS SAPPHIRE DRAGON WITH FLAMES OF THE DARK AGES!" As the mighty dragon launched a stream of molten steel from it's belly, the Sapphire Dragon struggled to flee from it. However, the rider launched two bolts from his seat using a hidden longbow, effectively pinning the dragon as rivers of fire swallowed and melted the creature, and as its skeletal remains burn away, so did the attack. "NOW BLUE EYES, MOUNT A DIRECT ATTACK ON HIS LIFE POINTS WITH WHITE LIGHTNING ATTACK!" Between the massive jaws of the wyrm formed a ball of blue-white energy, crackling as each individual volt completed a circuit with the teeth of the beast, until it was launched like a cannonball, crashing into Miroku with devastating power. (4000/1000)

"Tell me, monk, do you still believe that you can defeat me? What you are standing up against is a twin onslaught from two of the most powerful dragons in Duel Monsters, and yet you do not surrender. Impressive, but foolish. Unless that face down card is a trap for later, there is nothing protecting you from the double attack my monsters provide me with. So go ahead, draw your final card, and end this charade."

"Don't worry, Kaiba. I've just figured out what you are hiding in your hand, and I will defeat it with just one card."

Taking his turn with the draw of his deck, Miroku realized that he had just gained the very card with which he would destroy Seto Kaiba.

_Exchange._

Yami's Hotel Room 

It had been almost two hours since his duel with Yami Bakura, and for the most part, Yami felt at ease. This was unique because peace of mind had been the exception rather than the norm in the chaotic time that he and Yugi had spent together, as the two fended off psychotic after psychotic in a battle royale; but in the case of this tournament, they both knew that they might not win. Hiei was easily the most powerful enemy that any of them had ever faced; even while holding back the bulk of his power it was nearly impossible to defeat him. Yami had sensed from the very beginning that what the Demon King had used was merely a watered-down version of his original deck, and the more duels he won, the more powerful he would become. 

This, however, could work in both ways.

Scattered about the table next to him were a few Duel Monsters cards, each of varying power and rarity, that Yugi had brought in case of empowerment for his own deck. In this case, however, Yami had taken it upon himself to train Kagome, who had asked personally, how to use the cards in duels. It did not take the spirit long to notice that the young woman who had spent the better half of her life in a temple had an instinct for the game; it only took her 30 minutes to master the finer game points, infinitely better than Joey's three days. In a head-to-head match, using a deck she had prepared from the cards available, it was only by a slim margin that Yami had gained victory. 

Even as he scanned the cards in his deck, the ancient inhabitant of the Sennen Puzzle came upon one of his best cards, and also one that Kagome had taken an instant affinity to, the Maha Vailo. Although it had proved little use in any recent duel, he always kept it nearby, just in case it could be useful, but he found a much better place for it in mere seconds. So he quietly slipped it into Kagome's new deck. Hopefully, the card would prove a better ally to her, along with his own training.

As he continued to flip through the cards, he caught another card of interest, and while it did not have any particular use for his strategy, the creature gave him a degree of comfort. It was strangely weak for it's sacrifice level, but the intimidating black armor, malicious, blade-like claws, and scarlet-tinged eyes that flared with a passion unlike any known since the days of Rome's greatest soldiers gave it a sense of untapped wrath that could be released if used correctly. _Joey's favorite card, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. _Easily one of his most powerful dragons, and also one that had been his saving grace a number of times in matches past. Specifically, it had allowed him to break the maniacal control that Marik had poured into Joey's soul in that satanic duel in Battle City, where everything was on the line. _Who knows? Maybe both of my dragons will come through for me this time..._

Calm appeared to descend upon the scene, as Yami placed his deck onto the table in front of him. Near this collection of cards was the set of keys that his duels had granted him, each one shining up to him with an almost angelic glow, despite the horrors associated with each; from the top of his deck could be seen the six cards those selfsame duels had empowered his deck with, each ready and waiting to strike upon their master's command. But the greatest prize, the ultimate gift from the hellish nightmare he had endured, was seated next to him: his true love. Finally, after all of the years in perpetual imprisonment, someone had approached him, someone kind and determined, capable of holding her own in the madness of the world, and at the risk of sounding clichéd, he realized that he had found someone that he could spend the rest of his life with. But until Hiei was vanquished, he could not settle down without fear.

But unbeknownst to him, Kagome's presence would bring about another dark enemy...who was observing them even as they lay. 

For the several hours that the Pharaoh had known Kikyo's incarnate, she had not mentioned a much greater evil that she had encountered in a time past, probably because she didn't seriously think that it would return. But as Yami ran his fingers through the dark tresses, it slowly dawned on him that something was swiftly approaching, coming forth from the shadows at great speed, and yet seeming to not move at all, as though it went in a pattern like to the planets. With each second that passed the darkness edged closer, heralding the approach of an ancient celestial creature carven of the blood of demons. Sweat began to pour from Yami's forehead, and his hand began to involuntarily twitch, as the very hairs upon the back of his neck stood upright with a mind of their own. Near the bottom of his feet, an inexplicable wind started to pick up, laced with a black magic similar to Hiei's own.

_The Dance of Death._

It was in the monarch's thoughts that these bizarre word manifested themselves, but it was his soul that truly spoke them, screaming a hidden warning as the clock ticked down to inevitable doom...

Until a jarring rap on the door rid him of his frightened stupor, and when the specter failed to answer, another one came in quick succession. And for the first time in many a century, the great Pharaoh at last knew fear.

Placing his deck back into the gauntlet, as well as restructuring his resolve, the ancient king stood upon the cold linoleum of the hotel floor. Even in its creaking Yami heard a cruel note of Armageddon, but laying this aside he stepped toward the door, and as he strode forward the black premonitions stirring within him grew more powerful with each pace, and a slight hum emerged from the threshold. As he moved forth he put his Duel Gauntlet in Standby mode, just in case his caller wanted a match, but this was extremely unlikely. Finally, he reached forward, grasped the handle and sent the door open...

And before him lay a horrific scene.

Human blood was splattered all over the walls and near the end of the corridor the dying moans of the survivors as they retched and stumbled about the place, screaming to whatever deity they worshipped before collapsing to the floor. On occasion, a few wandering souls began running to the monarch, driven mad by the intense pain, but an unholy thing befell them long before they could clear the next foot: these men, quite literally, split in half and rained even more black blood over the walls in a single gruesome torrent. Jutting out of the bodies were grotesque monuments made from the very bones of the dead, and cast from the dead, shielded by a wall of energy, was a pile of discarded gauntlets and a small pile of cards that seemed unwanted by whoever was responsible. And deep in the shadows that had manifested themselves was standing, ornate fan in hand, an occult-looking woman, with eyes of a vibrant crimson and sable hair pulled up into a close topknot. The lady's ears were oddly protuberant, and on the back of her hand was a much smaller version of the demonic spider tattoo on her back.

"So, you are the legendary Yami, banisher of the darkness and the prisoner of the Millennium Puzzle; at long last we finally meet. I've been waiting for this moment for much longer than you can possibly comprehend, and as you can clearly discern, I have been making short work of every person that I have been able to find, and their cards have also proven useful in empowering my deck. But don't worry, I have yet to forget about you, and let me give you my undying word that your Slifer the Sky Dragon will find a safe home in my capable hands. Of course, I would also be more than happy to strip you of the Puzzle, and Hiragashi will be very well taken care of...in the bowels of Hell!"

"That's enough! Even if you could defeat me, I highly doubt that you would be able to control the might of Osiris or the Sennen Item I wield. I'm not entirely sure who you are, but let _me _assure you that I will not be beaten by any petty servant, for once I'm finished I will send you into the void, and will effectively banish your darkness from this plane for all eternity! And you can tell your masters that a pathetic mercenary shall not frighten me away from the ultimate victory; so go ahead and try to defeat me with everything you have, so if you value your soul, you can return to Hiei with your tail between your legs like the coward you are!"

Slipping the fan into her obi, the sadistic duelist that had challenged him started to chuckle, before breaking loose into an all-out cackle of good humor.

"AHAHAHAHA! You're joking, right? Me, play servant girl to that...pathetic...bastard...Hiei...AHAHAHAHA! Don't make me laugh! I'd rather impale myself than serve that arrogant pig! What gave you that obviously mundane implication, your little whore in there?"

Upon hearing these offensive words, Yami let fly like the loose cannon of the 100 Years War. "SILENCE! NEVER TALK ABOUT KAGOME LIKE THAT! EVER!!! I WILL NOT STAND BY IDLY AND WATCH YOU DEFILE THE WOMAN I LOVE! SO IF YOU WANT A DUEL, COME FOR IT NOW!" Luckily, the corridor in this hotel was large enough in proportion for the Duel Gauntlet to work, and so his latest enemy activated her own system as well. (4000/4000)

_Soon, brother. The time of your coronation as king is upon us all..._

Street outside of the alley

Yusuke Urameshi had always had a reputation, rather appropriate, of a streetwise thug, never one to smile save at the cruel fate of his opposition as they squirm beneath some cruel torture of the worst degree. On this day, however, he was grinning like a madman, simply for a golden key and a card in his hand. These two items, on the other hand, could easily prove to be worth more than every cent he picked up in his old neighborhood. _This is turning out to be one of my best duels yet. Not only did I defeat the Intercontinental Champ in his own game, but I also single-handedly stripped him of his best card and key. And of course, I took a little something extra. _Cracking his knuckles in a rather crude fashion, seeing as they were well used in the pummeling of Keith soon after the match, the infamous Spirit Detective continued on his path through the overly crowded streets of New Paradigm. As he walked, he took a surreptitious glance at nearly everyone that passed by, and from this noted a bizarre event in this system: nearly each was dressed in some form of white clothing. In fact, most of the city was plastered in the non-color, even the flag. The only exceptions were tourists and competitors in the Hellfire Tournament, and even with over three thousand duelists involved this was a minute number.

As Yusuke walked along the congested path, he also noticed unnerving posters, most plastered with some image of Alex Rosewater pointing forward into a city gleaming with light and prosperity; each was dated from a few years ago. But was even more concerning was an image near the outskirts of the picture, for in that corner was what appeared to be a Sennen Eye, glowing with dark force. 

_Perhaps Hiei has more control over this city than I thought._

Time slowed down, a usual thing when he entered big cities; for some reason, Yusuke always felt cramped and alone when in areas like this, and more often then not, he found himself seeking out a familiar face of pretty much anyone, even Kuwabara. The moronic friend he had fought with and against so many years ago had dropped off the face of the Earth after Yukina's public death sentence. It would be long after the raid on his home town before he realized that Kuwabara had sided with his ultimate enemy, and as such, if the situation called for it, he would show no mercy to him.

"Hey, Yusuke."

Sitting outside the hospital was one Joey Wheeler, who looked close to suicidal. 

"Hey, Joey. You feeling alright?"

"I've been better. I mean, ever since I found out about Serenity and Hiei I can't think straight; who knows how many people that bastard hurt?"

"Well, he wasn't always like this. Even when Hiei acted as arrogant as he did, I couldn't help but sense something a little deeper. Maybe it was just something else altogether; I don't know how long he had that item or even where he found it. All I know is that we have to stop him before he hurts anybody else."

"Too true, but what I wanna know is how many enemies that guy has made? I've been hearing a lotta rumors lately, something about a rebellion leader that came to fight the facist pig. Nobody completely knows who she is, except she's been spending a lot of time with Kaiba. Doesn't really sound like anyone you or I know; I can't even think of anybody that can stand Mr. Moneybags for over five seconds. But if their against Hiei, they can't be all bad."

"Got that right. The question is, after all is said and done, will he or she be trustworthy?" At this point, both duelists felt a weird twinge in their sides, similar to that of utter annoyance.

"Well, I've got a duel to compete in. Maybe I'll catch you around, Yusuke."

Before Joey could set off, however, a grating, all-too-familiar voice resounded from the lamppost nearby.

"Wait just one second, Wheeler! I wouldn't want you to miss your friend's demise, and maybe if you stick around, something will actually get through that concrete skull of yours. HEEHEEHEEHEE!"

"Oh dear God, not again..."

Stepping out from under the shade of the lamp was an extremely short character, hardly four feet tall, clothed in a lavender dress shirt, upon which was stamped a small wolf spider silhouette, and bright orange shorts, along with sky blue flip flops. Mounted upon his face was a pair of coke bottle, Insect-theme prescription glasses, while his haircut was in the shape of a blue beetle's thorax. Mounted onto his arm was a faintly white Duel Gauntlet.

"Weevil Underwood! I should've known you'd show up here! How'd ya do it, steal another sucker's duel invite?"

"Don't be so narrow minded, you simpleton. I came here under my own banner, but I have made it this far under the grace of a new employer! And soon, I shall ascend to the pinnacle of my career by finishing first in New Paradigm. However, I did not come to challenge you, Wheeler; with my new deck I could easily send you home crying. I have arrived here to challenge the dueling protege of the legendary psychic, Genkai! Yusuke Urameshi, I challenge you to a duel of epic proportions; the winner will take the two rarest cards of his opponent, while the loser relinquishes two of his tournament keys, meaning that whoever loses will be out of the tournament! Do you accept my challenge?"

"With pleasure. But let me assure you, I will not be defeated."

Joey stepped forward, shouting, "Be careful, Yusuke! I don't know what tricks he's hiding this time, but I wouldn't trust him!"

"No sweat, Joey. I went into this duel not trusting him at all; his sleight of hand won't trick me!"

With an evil grin, Weevil traced the contours of his deck. _That's where you're mistaken, Urameshi. My tricks cannot be so easily detected..._

To Be Continued

Sorry this was a little quick. But next chapter will be much better.

Next time, Inuyasha will prepare for his duel while thinking about Yami and Kikyo, while Kaiba must stand against his ultimate creature. Yami and Yusuke, meanwhile are about to do battle with Kagura and Weevil, as will Roger. Hiei, in the meantime, will have a brush with Naraku's powers.

Until next time, READ AND REVIEW 


	24. The Wrath of God and Nature, Part 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Okay, for those who did not read last chapter, Kagura and Yami had started their duel, as Yusuke did with Weevil. Naraku has also returned, with a deep grudge against Hiei, while Kaiba continued his battle against Miroku.

Chapter 23 will truly be a first, as Kaiba is about to stare down his own Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor. In the meantime, Yusuke sets himself up against regional champion Weevil Underwood, who is under the employment of Hiei, as Naraku prepares to strike his greatest rival.

Here is another set of cards from Time Mage:

Steadfast Magician: (Light/Spellcaster/4/500/2200)- When this monster is sent to the Graveyard, special summon any level four or lower Spellcaster from your hand to the field.

Diamond Shield: (Trap)- Negate an enemy monsters attack and then special summon a [Luster Dragon], [Sapphire Dragon], [Hyozanryu], or [Ruby Dragon] from your hand to the field.

Aurora Veil: (Normal Trap)- Negate an enemy attack and add one Valkyrie in your deck to your hand.

Flash Pheonix: (Fire/Winged Beast/5/2100/2300)- If this monster is destroyed by an enemy monsters effect, revive this monster during your next Standby Phase with 200 extra attack points added to the base strength.

Chapter 23: The Wrath of God and Nature, Part One

Kaiba vs. Miroku

"Well, Kaiba, I must admit that you have given me a greater challenge than any other duelist in this entire tournament. In a matter of turns you managed to stop me from using my best cards to their utmost advantage, as well as reducing my life points to a measly 1000. And with two super-powerful draconic soldiers at your disposal, there is little that a simple monk can do."

Staring at the once confident enemy with trepidation, Kaiba's frozen eyes trailed down to the single face down card on the field, while at the same time carefully observing Miroku's face, which was now plastered with an almost imperceptible grin that did not match his words in any way, shape, or form. Once again, the wielder of the three most powerful dragons on Earth began to weigh his options rather carefully. _The halfwit before me seems to have some kind of hidden agenda in store for me. So far, he hasn't activated the face down card since I saw him play it, so if it was a Trap, chances are he would have launched it when my Blue Eyes attacked or even hit the field, and there is no way in Hell that he can have any decent Quick-Play cards in play, or he should have used these when my traps or other magic cards where vulnerable. And from what I've been able to gather, his monster count isn't too good, since he has only been able to successfully summon one monster throughout all of this. It's like he's not playing at his full strength, almost like he's waiting for some kind of all-powerful card to use against my dragons. The only way to be absolutely certain is to test the waters..._

Grasping the cards he held with a degree of unease, Kaiba took on a haughty look. "It's about time that you realized that you cannot defeat me. Even when you attempted to use my own creature for yourself it failed miserably. I can only assume that you wish to surrender?"

"Hm. You misunderstand me, Seto Kaiba. While a monk may not be able to defeat your archaic beasts, I am absolutely certain that a god is under no such restriction. For you see, the card that I have just drawn will strip you of your power, for I choose to activate the Magic card, Exchange!" The powerful card only appeared for an instant before vanishing into oblivion. "As you probably know, the Exchange magic card allows me to add one card from your hand into my own; however, you may also take one of my own in the process of equilibrium. So say goodbye to Obelisk the Tormentor!"

_WHAT?! How could he have possibly known that the God Card was in my hand since the beginning? However he did it, there is no way I'll be able to defeat my own Egyptian God Card, and more importantly, there is no way I'll be able to reach the finals without it!_

The master of dragons decided to keep his composure as he watched his salvation become his death sentence, while Miroku greedily reached for his hand. The quivering appendage of fate drew ever closer, as Kaiba prepared to weaken his enemy as best he could, but as he felt the God Card slipping away, he felt his confidence slip with it. He began to realize that it would only be a matter of time before the God of Obelisk would shatter the barrier of reality and ascend onto the mortal plane against it's former master. And even with his two dragons out on the field, there was next to nothing that could be done in time; his other two Blue Eyes White Dragons were buried in the deck somewhere, and even if he could somehow keep his first on the field long enough to get them into his hand, he would still need a Polymerization card to create his final salvation.

"Now that I have stolen your greatest asset, it's time for you to select a card from my current hand."

Miroku's cards were lackluster at best, and consisted of a Premature Burial card and a Shining Angel, both of which would only destroy him if either were played. Fully realizing that he could do nothing but take a defensive monster, Kaiba took a card as well, and in an instant the Angel was in his hand, waiting to be sent into oblivion.

His bravado now completely shattered, Kaiba attempted, once more, to put on a show of bravery. "Miroku, do you seriously believe that the Egyptian God you just wrested from me will be able to save you from absolute humiliation? More importantly, how do you intend to summon this beast to the field? As you probably have determined, calling upon the power of a titanic being like this is not easily done, for in order to summon it you must offer three weaker monsters in your possession. And from my viewpoint, you don't even have a single creature to sacrifice."

"You insult me, Kaiba; my intent was to use your God Card against you from the very beginning, and the two cards that are still on the field by my doing will play a vital role in doing it. I will begin this move by placing one more card face down, followed by the activation of this Magic card, Life Shortening Magic! This all-powerful card will allow me to draw five cards from my deck, but in exchange for this I must discard my entire hand after five turns have elapsed upon the effect resolving." From the top of his deck, Miroku drew his necessary cards. "My plan will continue with the activation of my second Magic card, The Blue Knight Legion, which grants me the ability to discard as many cards from my hand to summon that many Blue Knight Tokens onto my field. For this case, I will send three of my cards into the afterlife! But I am afraid that my move is not quite complete, for I shall also activate my equip card, Premature Burial! I believe that you know this card's ability; all I need to do is offer 800 life points, and I can resurrect a beast from the Graveyard, so reemerge, my Airknight Parshath!" As both Magic cards resolved, a trio of weak-looking knights tramped onto the field in a poor imitation of the tortoise formation. Aside from the fact that their armor was a brilliant tinge of blue, they were fairly normal in appearance, wielding Greco-Roman swords and shields. (1000/500 x3) At the same time, an angelic centaur sailed forth from some heavenly dimension, with downy wings draped over the midnight blue armor it's human component wore. In one hand was a glowing spear, while the other held a thick, cumbersome shield. (1900/1400) "Finally, I will activate my last two magic cards, Mage Power and The Upper Class!" As a swirl of magical energies flowed from the other such cards on the field into the Airknight, a heavy unit of Beefeater legions surrounded Miroku's side of the field. "While the Mage Power Magic card empowers my Airknight with 500 points for each Magic and Trap on my side of the field, the Upper Class prevents any creatures whose level is under that of my own from striking the higher of the two, which means that my Parshath cannot be struck by any low-level monster you set forth. And now, Kaiba, prepare to experience an ultimate power unlike any you have ever witnessed before, as I sacrifice all three of my Blue Knight Tokens to summon the Dark Colossus, Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Once this final command was issued, the entire field began to glow an eerie white, as a surge of fire from the depths of Hell flared up on Kaiba's side of the field. At the same time, thousands of streams of ethereal light shattered the barrier between Heaven and Earth. As the two energies started to swirl about the arena, slowly fusing into a unearthly fist, the creatures slated for tribute dropped their weapons and tried to flee, but within an instant they were lanced with triple bolts of lightning, and brought forth to the great hand. The second the trapped warriors came into the palm that drew them forth, their very souls were stripped from the frail shells of mortality, and sailed forth into the sky, where it was crafted by the chaotic hand into a massive deity. Towering over the other creatures with an impalpable air of dignity, the Goliath was over a hundred feet tall, its divine power sealed in an armor of dark blue flesh and sinew, while it's clawed appendages stood ready to wreak havoc upon any mortal enemies with the inescapable blow of damnation. Sending a cry of rage into the heavens, the reincarnation of light and darkness spread its great wings and scanned the landscape with eyes of burgundy eyes brimming with hatred.

The God of Obelisk had returned. (4000/4000)

As this pagan god graced the hovering city of New Paradigm with a grim resolve, Seto Kaiba found his will to continue crack like a heated ceramic, and even as Obelisk turned its nearly satanic gaze towards the master which had used it extensively, his knees gave way, and he collapsed onto the cold ground, as Miroku laughed maniacally in the background.

_Here I kneel, unable to face my opponent, unable to even move, as I stare into the eyes of the Devil itself. What once had been my guiding angel of salvation has now become the ultimate archfiend at the disposal of an enemy duelist. Soon my dragons will be little more than a swirling torrent of molecules and scattered cells, doomed to traverse the cosmos, hunting for an ever-fleeting purpose in the world. Even as my twin wyrms prepare to do battle, the Dark Titan prepares to lay waste to all of them, and once he gains a second monster to activate the Tormentor's ability, I will be finished._

Miroku lifted his damaged hand to the sky, gesturing towards his double assault force, seeming to have a degree of impunity as his eyes glistened with a dementia that none had ever seen in him before. "You mocked my abilities before, Kaiba. You dared to question my tactics, and at every turn I almost believed your taunts. Now look at the score; I have not only called upon the abilities of my rarest card, the legendary Airknight Parshath, but in a single turn I have snatched away your own rarest card and used it against you! And to add insult to injury, I am about to humiliate you in front of your girlfriend. Who, once I'm through with you, will become _my _lover."

Of course, the perverse priest-in-training had said this disgusting words in Botan's earshot, and of course hers was an adverse reaction.

"SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING PIG! I'VE TAKEN ABOUT AS MUCH BULLSHIT FROM YOU AS I CAN HANDLE, AND IF YOU START HITTING ON ME AGAIN, I'LL PERSONALLY CUT OFF A FEW THINGS I'M SURE YOU'LL BE MISSING!"

Botan's sudden outburst, if anything, only aroused the pervert more than ever. "Well, we certainly have a dirty tongue today, now don't we? It looks to me like the only way to clean that up is with a little contact with a decent one, and before long you'll see that this whole little conflict was rather tongue-in-cheek, in more ways than one..."

As the hot-headed reaper began another sharp insult, Kaiba had been carefully observing his enemy with a critical edge, and also began to take note of what he had learned about him from the little information available. _Something doesn't make any sense here. Throughout this entire duel, Miroku has been acting like an arrogant jackass, rather unlike the more reserved pervert that I've been hearing about. More importantly, how did he know that I had Obelisk the Tormentor in my possession? Only a select few duelists have ever seen me use this card, and almost nobody else knows that it even exists. There's another variable involved here, some erratic deviation from the standard equation that eludes me, but what could it be?_

"Kaiba, this is the beginning of your final defeat, for once I'm finished with you, I shall personally send you into oblivion using a few ancient powers of my own! Each second that you struggle to destroy your own deity brings you a second closer to death! But I shall put you out of your misery by summoning one final monster with Monster Reborn, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer!" Emerging from the brown-backed card was a frail-looking Japanese friar, bound in leather armor and bearing one half of an ornamental face mask on his face. His robes were plain in the best terms, but his left hand held a string of glowing beads that was imprinted with various kanji that spelled out various epitaphs. In his right hand was a small pile of cursed scrolls capable of sending souls to a final resting place. (1800/700)

_That he even knew about the God of Obelisk is an unnerving premonition in itself. But what is even more frightening is that he knew the fact that it was in my hand from the very beginning._

"This is the commencement of a new era, vile scum, for on this day I can at last dethrone Seto Kaiba from his seat of power! This is an event that shall go down in history, for in this duel, a new champion shall be crowned, and I shall be acclaimed as the ultimate King of Games. Let all who dare challenge me bear witness to this battle of the gods and tremble, for they too shall quake in fear before Miroku the All-Encompassing! Now, my Airknight Parshath, use your Lance of St. George to send that pitiful dragon back to the Pit!" Charging forth with unsurpassed speed, the sanctified beast launched itself into the sky, while at the same moment spread it's sacred wings to keep itself aloft, while lifting it's mighty spear into the sun's rays. At this point, the saintly tip of this tool of the gods began to sing a ghostly tune as though deep within, a glorious choir had let sail its wondrous notes for the world to enjoy. But this melodious spear contained within it a sour note, the bitter refrain of a dark victory, amplified to unprecedented amounts as it's apex punctured the mighty skull of the Blue Eyes, which in response began to bellow in a combination of passion and despondency. Slowly, with a practiced hand, the spiritual mercenary drove the pike deeper into the dragon, and with great cruelty drew it out, effectively tearing the grandiose reptile's head in half, whereupon it shattered into dust. (3600/200) "And thanks to my monster's ability, I can draw one card from my deck each time this monster causes damage to you!"

__

And even as I am about to be sent into another battle with the humiliation of a crushing defeat, I cannot help but wonder why Miroku, who must have learned about my reputation through many people, challenged me to a duel. If he knew that the most powerful creature in my possession was in my hand from the start, why did he continue to move forward in a duel, which he must have figured was beyond his capacity to emerge victorious. So something must have given him the rather deluded idea that he could emerge victorious.

"Now, Obelisk the Tormentor, call upon your deific power, and send Beldes to the graveyard with Fist of Fate! Shatter the traitorous human and bring Kaiba ever closer to defeat!" As the almighty divinity elevated it's palm heavenwards, five individual points of light set themselves up onto the respective talons that made up the hand. Each of these points seemed to have a soul of their own, as they began to undulate and surge with ancient powers unseen by man for over five thousand years. But this strength of the gods was soon to leave the mortal plane once more, for every individual molecule was absorbed into the clenched fist of Obelisk the Tormentor. The hand, in turn, glowed a brilliant white, and within an instant, was brought crashing down into Beldes. Despite the overwhelming wrath that was screaming down towards them in a way similar to the eagle coming upon it's prey, the dragon launched a jet of smoldering metal, but this was pushed back by the unstoppable attack of the God of Obelisk. The rider, on the other hand, leapt off his mount and tried to flee, even as his dragon was torn apart and it's innards flew unchecked about the place. But the coward was not to escape, for just as the assault rammed into the bedrock of the arena, a hail of broken slate rained down from the sky, each individual piece goring a massive exit wound into the once grand armor. (2250/200)

_And to place the final component into this twisted jigsaw; the so-called monk has gone out of his way to insult both Botan and me, even though his is supposedly a man of reservation and honor. As difficult as it is to believe, the only logical explanation is that somebody else is pulling the figurative strings. Someone that has a grudge against the woman I love. The one man capable of this kind of control._

"Now, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, send his two dragons into oblivion, and remove them from play by mounting a direct attack on his life points!"

Removing the cursed strips of paper from his left pocket, the warrior monk began to mutter an ancient chant, which had supposedly been used by Shinto priests at funeral services. As each individual verse passed the friars lips, thousands of individual souls began to flow from cracks into the earth, and as this occurred, the string of beads that he was wielding gained a saw-like aura. Now satisfied, the monk continued his chant as he swung the cord over his head, and for an instant, the images of the Blue Eyes White Dragon and Beldes appeared in the aura. But this was only temporary, for Kycoo immediately tossed the beads with immense velocity, upon which they shattered Kaiba's life points to a minimal quantity. (450/200)

"Seto! Are you alright?! Say something!"

If Kaiba heard anything that his beloved said, it was lost on him in his shock that an amateur was about to defeat him. But deep within the tormented orphan a revelation was stirring. With this singular though pulsing through his mind, the former world champion lifted himself from the ground, with unmatched hatred burning in his eyes of blue. "It's okay, Botan. I've never felt better."

"I see you have yet to surrender, despite the fact that I am about to end this duel with one final attack. So if you really believe that you will emerge from this triumphant, far be it for me to stop you from continuing with this farce. So I will end my turn with the activation of this card I played face down, Raimei! This will allow me to inflict 300 points of direct damage to your life points!" As this effect resolved, a small storm cloud cast a minute shade onto the field, and from this came an equally small bolt of thunder broke through Kaiba's last few life points. (150/200) "That will end my turn."

_Alright, as long as Miroku has those three monsters on the field, I can't mount the attack I need to end this, and once Miroku figures out Obelisk's special ability, I'm finished. What I need to do is summon something capable of either destroying the God Card, or able to cause some form of direct damage to his life points._

I know for a fact that I have the cards capable of defeating the divine beast before me, but the question is, can I draw them in time?

"Seto! Listen to me! I know that you have at least one card in your deck that has the power to defeat Obelisk, and I know that you can defeat this pig in one move! All you have to do is trust your deck!"

_Of course! If the Heart of the Cards can come in for Yugi, then there is no doubt that it will come in for a duelist of my caliber. Come on, all I need do is draw one card..._

As Seto Kaiba picked up his card, it was instantly clear to him that perhaps Yugi wasn't as large a moron as he thought.

"I play the Magic card, Hand Rebirth!"

Hiei's Fortress, Information Server

It has been a simple fact of nature for thousands of years that knowledge is power. Even the most archaic of politicians, from early China onward, have known that the only way to truly defeat the opposition is to gather every iota of information that can be collected, and study from this archive extensively. By gaining the facts and figures of an enemy, the truly powerful ruler can determine who to fight in their organization, how to defeat them, and most importantly, how to keep them in line.

Hiei had been able to see this truth from the very beginning, and time would often find him whiling it away in these depositories of data.

Placing his outstretched hand onto the scan plate, Hiei began to browse through the endless folders of information that were quite literally at his fingertips: birthplaces, genetics, personalities, dueling styles, supernatural abilities, and the like. Having already collected this information using the power of his Millennium Eye, the true incarnation of darkness had stockpiled the data for easy reference in times of need. Now was one of these rare times.

_So, in a short matter of 35 years, Naraku has become familiar with the vast intricacies of both New and Old Paradigm City, during which time he has also become one of the highest ranked duelists in the New World. Already he has formulated dueling strategies that could easily outshine any but the most powerful of my own servants, and has been responsible for at least thirty mass genocides. But very soon he himself shall become a victim...of my own dark powers._

With a nonchalant grin Hiei removed himself from the cylinder databank, which in turn put itself on standby until it was next called upon. As he strode with a cruel gait out of the archives, however, a twang of self-doubt began to form within him. Already he could feel an imposing presence forming within him, seeming to fester and colonize as it moved farther away from the pits of his soul and into his mind, and with both Naraku and Yami occupying his attention, the dark parasite had been growing stronger with each passing second.

_Until that point arrives, I must deal with the present situation at hand. Once Yami and Naraku are out of my path, I shall then place all of my energies in quelling this satanic leech from my mind forever._

I can only wonder at why Naraku has not tried to stand against me before, and in retrospect, perhaps I should have taken some preliminary steps in nipping his plans before they came to fruition. But at this point, all I can do is prevent him from completing this tournament. He has already tried to usurp my throne once before, and that nearly cost me the power of the Shikon no Tama, and it is because of him that I cannot tap it completely. But it matters not; once the baboon tries to defeat my malevolent energies, he shall indeed know the power of God.

Once again, Hiei began to peruse his deck of cards, with which he had already gained five of the required seven keys needed to enter the Hellfire Tournament Finals. Each card had played a vital, if on occasion miniscule, role in his victories. This very deck had even come close to defeating that of the damnable Pharaoh, but in the end, his saving grace, the Royal Decree, had proven to be his own undoing. Bearing this in mind he had learned not to play the Trap as often, and with this change had also come an increase in more powerful Magic cards.

And yet, the deck which he had been using was becoming faintly inadequate.

_Perhaps it is time to abandon the cards I have been using, in favor of my true deck; this deck may have been able to defeat enemies of a much lesser caliber, but for opponents like Yami and Botan, I will need the power of a deck never seen before. With the power of the Chaos Theory deck, I will be completely invincible, for this powerhouse combines the best of the omnipotent combinations, and all is linked together around one card._

If Hiei intended to alter the strategy he was using, the plan was quickly cut short, for deep in the bowels of the mighty stronghold, a massive explosion tore through the walls, causing blackouts in scattered areas throughout the compound. At the exact same moment the degree of Shadow magic spiked upwards sharply.

_This is certainly an interesting development; not only has there been an assault on the compound which has not been detected by any sentient being before, but a very unique darkness has manifested itself. From the wavelength frequency of this necromancy, I can safely determine that the being who exuded it is not completely present, as though he is acting through another medium._

Much in the way of a...puppet.

Another detonation, this time shaking the complex to the very foundation, and the black magic spiked again. This time, however, the darkness radiating from the beast had become almost tangible. And yet, the magic seemed arcane in nature, animalistic, yet still dark to the ultimate degree.

_So, the wolf has made the first strike against me. As the tiger stalks, struggling to defeat me, and the leopard crouches over the snake to protect it, my enemies have each assimilated themselves in my domain. But in the end, it shall be I, the Black Lion, that will prevail._

Another spike, and this time Hiei could distinctly trace it's source: the food storage areas that kept the place fully operational, and from this vantage point it was the deepest. From this area of the fortress it would take a normal man weeks to trace his way through the labyrinthine paths, by which time he would likely have been killed.

But Hiei was no ordinary creature by any stretch, and with this in mind he sealed his eyes. And upon opening them he was only a few yards away from the source of this strange power surge. What he saw was unlike anything seen by mortal man, in ancient or modern times.

Every inch of this monstrosity was gleaming with a black aura, each individual anatomic structure sealed in annelid-like plating, completely seamless save for the ventricle-like structure that allowed the abomination of nature to survive. At the acumination of each tentacular growth were thin, syringe-like growths, five of which were secreting sweet-smelling venom, as the other stingers were lined with razor-thin spindles that, if they connected, could disembowel a rhinoceros instantaneously. In the center of this conglomeration of tentacles was what appeared to be a all-encompassing mouth, lined with abrasive, almost saw-toothed fangs. And sitting atop this accumulation of unholy appendages was a human torso. The upper body of this hellish chimaera was hardly well-built at all, with arms that would have crumbled away had they not been laced with demonic sortilege, but any other details were lost to the ages, since this component was draped in a silverish fur cloak, complete with a mask hewn from a wolf skull.

_So, this is the dark sorcerer that I detected, and even as a watch the ogre gorges itself on ningen flesh. With each drop of blood this thing draws into itself, another grain of power is siphoned off to it's master. And even as it shatters the human skeleton it metabolizes strength. Well, if this is the very best that he can muster, I shall be able to lay waste his entire army by sheer will power. But in the meantime, I suppose I could enjoy the show..._

The ruler who seemed to embody the true meaning of _The Prince _gave the impression of enjoying the grisly scene before him, his demented smirk growing ever wider as the pathetic human bodyguards he had been forced to employ fired innumerable rounds into the beast. But the demon took no notice as it grew fat and complacent consuming pounds of human meat, and seemed almost to enjoy itself as the men were dragged from their safe positions and hurled into the giant's digestive tract...

Yet it was only once this leviathan turned on the foodstuffs, the very lifeblood of the base, that the King of Spirits decided to strike.

_It is time to end this little tragedy, for I cannot afford this base to fail._

In this mindset, Hiei reached down to his waistline, wrapping his well-trained hand about the steel hilt of one of his favorite weapons of war, a long, thin katana stained with both human and demon blood. Lining this blade was a long, almost incomprehensible verse, sending praise to the ruler of darkness, as well as occult decorations from nearly every culture on Earth. The better part of the insignias were crossed out, for each represented a different enemy that Hiei had yet to defeat.

With yet another grim smile the demon completely drew out the blade of demons, and a second later planted it firmly into the ground. The few survivors that were watching him were dumbfounded; why had the master not slain the demon before him?

"Wait, you imbeciles. What you are looking for is just about to arrive."

Just as the puppet readied to launch a final attack, small, hairline incisions began to form along each disgusting digit, from which foamy pus began to ooze. This acrid emission trickled ever so slowly from the lacerations, and thus seared away what little whole flesh was present, whilst every nerve in the puppet's body screeched an awful melody of pain and suffering that skyrocketed into the creature's mind.

But there was no response. After all, the electric pulses of any cerebrum no longer have effect if the brain loses oxygen. And generally, the body ceases operating if several thousand lesions from a Japanese katana send it into oblivion.

Hiei, inwardly, had been disappointed by the lackluster performance of his enemy, or rather, an inadequate avatar of such; he needed only to use a one unit of his power to send this gruesome monstrosity back to the depths of Hell. Even so, the demon could not help but feel an echelon of satisfaction as the Shadow Puppet slid apart, letting spurt a inundation of life fluids and paper thin organs, sliced this way thanks to Hiei's well-trained hand. _If this is the best that Naraku can send against me, than he may just as well surrender himself to me, or even send that brainless half-breed Inuyasha to do battle. Well, as I have said before, it matters not, for soon Naraku will rest comfortably in some tomb in the innards of the earth..._

Yusuke vs. Weevil

"All right, bug bitch, it's my move!" With one fluid action, the loud-mouthed Spirit Detective of Earth drew his starting card. _Yes! First draw and I've already got a killer hand! Let's hope it stays that way. _"I'll hit the dirt on a run by placing two cards face down, and a monster in defense mode. Next, I will activate this piece of work, the Magic Card, Immortality! For absolutely no cost at all, I can give my monsters the power of rebirth from defeat at the beginning of my turn, so long as their attack is halved each time I use the card. Last but not least, I will play this last Magic card, Spring of Rebirth! By using this Permanent spell, I will gain 500 extra life points each time a monster goes from the field to my hand! I'll stop there, so you can catch up."

With a tenacious grimace that seemed fixated on his enemy's cards, Weevil drew his starting card, and as he stared at it, the complex, devious mechanisms of his mind began to turn, producing the force to back his master strategy. "Urameshi, do you honestly expect me to believe that this little masquerade of yours will be able to stop me from demolishing any hope you have of reaching the Finals? If so, then you are even more of an uncultured gibbon than any of us could ever have understood! More to the point, it would be prudent of you to watch your tongue when addressing me; after all, it was I that came oh so close to defeating the King of Games, Yugi Mouto! Had he not drawn the cards he did, I would have most certainly emerged the victor!"

"Cut the shit, Weevil; you know as well as I do that there isn't a duelist on Earth that could possibly defeat Yugi. I've seen him take down some of the best contenders in the Western world, and he could wipe the floor with anybody on this side of the planet. In fact, I'll stake my life that nobody, not even Death, could beat him at his best." _Although she could give him a run for his money..._

"Your false bravado will not save you from defeat this time, you dimwitted buffoon. However, I must commend you on your so-called vote of confidence for the inferior duelist. Even if Yugi could defeat me on a level playing field, I highly doubt that you, a small-time thug with the intellectual power of a colony of ants, could have any hope of emerging from this victorious, so prepare to fall!" Weevil began to scan his cards, and although his master strategy was not in attendance, the tactic at hand was more than enough to demolish his enemy. "I shall begin this duel by placing two cards face down, after which I shall then summon one of my most powerful monsters, the dreaded Larva Moth!" Slithering onto the field was what could easily be described as the most hideous arthropodic predecessor on Earth. The worm-like creature extended to about three feet in length, venom-green in hue, with thousands of tiny legs that skittered madly akimbo. From the head of this monstrous creature was jutting a set of pincers and horns that looked slightly poisonous. (500/400) "For my next move, I will activate the Magic card, DNA Split! Using the power of genetics, I will be able to create a token with the exact same chemical structure as any Insect monster on the field, so I will select Larva Moth!" Within mere seconds of the command delivery, infinite chemical reactions began to form in the depths of the card, scanning the entire DNA genome of the Insect-Archetype, on occasion locking onto a particular chromosome that would produce the desired effect. As each individual strand of mRNA was synthesized and activated at the speed of sound, a new creature began to emerge, an exact replica of the Larva Moth. This process also gained a sadistic edge, taking into account the fact that Yusuke had to watch each individual structure fall into place, until the Token was complete. (500/400)

"Tell me, Weevil, did that strategy have any point to it whatsoever? All you've accomplished in your turn so far is play two pathetic monsters on the field, and last I checked a weak monster advantage is no help at all. So unless you're trying to mess with my head and psych me out, I suggest you start playing with a little more power!"

Despite the jeering critique of his skills, Weevil continued to grin in that aggressive way of his. " Oh, I beg to differ, infant! What you see standing before you is the ultimate combination of destruction, for once I play these two cards from my hand, there shall be nothing on Earth that can defeat me! Activate double Cocoons of Evolution!" As Weevil played his final two cards from his hand, the twin larvae began to spin a vast multitude of gossamer silk from spider-like spinnerets on their posteriors, slowly enveloping them into a pupa state. (0/2000) "You claim that my deck has no power, but what you are about to see is the very epitome of strength!"

Since Yusuke had not heard of the cards that that the insect duelist was about to play, he was understandably confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Joey, on the other hand, knew all too well what was about to occur...and there was nothing he could do about it.

"I'll try to keep this simple so that your prokaryotic mind can grasp what I'm trying to explain. Over the course of five of my turns, the Larva Moth within both of these cocoons will alter it's shape and form once again, and will slowly but surely evolve into a creature of nearly unstoppable force! Once these creatures hatch, you will have to contend with not one, but _two_ Perfectly Ultimate Great Moths, and when that time comes, you will experience the true wrath of the natural world, where the strong live to continue their race, and the weak are torn to shreds by the great predators!"

_Well, this is just perfect. Unless I can take those tanks of cocoons out of the picture, he'll have a massive advantage, but how can I destroy something with this high a defense? I don't have a single no-tribute monster with the attack strength needed to pierce that shell, but I do have a few more cards in my deck that could do the job perfectly. _And ironically enough, the card he drew was exactly the one he needed.

"Okay, Weevil, I may not be able to destroy your cocoons with strength, but what I can do is remove them with magic! I will summon Kotodama in attack mode!" Emerging from the card was an emaciated divinity, with lengthy arms and legs that ceased in club-like hands and feet. It's eyes glowed with an eerie pink that seemed to counteract the leathery flesh that kept it whole, and the light from these eyes activated throngs of strange Hindi symbols that flared across the field. Even as it's glow purged the field, this strange faerie let loose an ancient chant that caused massive pain to all that heard it. (0/1600) You see, the second this monster hits the field, it will automatically destroy one monster with the same name as another on the field, so your team of moths has just been cut in half!" But even as these yelps worked their way across the playing field, the face-down cards that Weevil had played were triggered.

"You simple-minded buffoon! Did you really expect a parlor trick like Kotodama to work on a warrior of my superior eminence? Well, you'll have to rework that hypothesis as I activate both of my cards, Book of Moon and Aqua Chorus! Thanks to the ancient Egyptian text of the Book of Moon, I can switch your Kotodama back into face-down defense position, disabling its effect due to it's Spell Speed Level 2! As for Aqua Chorus, the otherwise useless Trap will empower any monsters whose names match those of the others by 500 points for both statistics!" Thanks to the Magic card, Kotodama was sealed beneath a fog of dark magic, while the mage of Aqua Chorus empowered the moths. (500/2500)

"Again with the moths, Weevil? Kotodama wasn't the only plan I had in mind, so I'll activate this face down card of mine, the Magic Card known as Tribute to the Doomed, which will allow me to destroy one of your monsters, so say goodbye to Cocoon of Evolution number one!" The all-consuming gauze burst out from the Magic zone, and within a moment the Cocoon was dragged away into the depths of Hell. "And since your second Cocoon is all by itself, it loses the power boost that the Aqua Chorus provided for it!" The magician emerging from the card returned to it's original position, taking the power with it. (0/2000) "Thanks to my Tribute to the Doomed card, I now have to discard one card from my hand, but that won't matter much." As far as Yusuke was concerned, the card would be better suited to the grave anyway.

Unnoticed by the Spirit Detective, small bullets of sweat had assimilated on Weevil's forehead, as he realized that with only one Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, he would have no chance at victory. _If that moron before me learned anything from the psychic Genkai, then my Moth will be finished before the end of my next turn. What I need to do is summon a monster and play a spell that will allow me to completely demolish his Spirit Monsters...and I have just the plan to accomplish this. All I need to do is draw the right cards, which I can do with relative ease._

"Very well, Urameshi. If you wholeheartedly think that you can defeat me in this duel...THINK AGAIN! I play the Magic card, Card of Sanctity! This card will allow each of us to draw until we both have six cards in our hand, and since my hand is empty, I can draw six cards! Next, I shall activate this card, Shield and Sword, which will switch the attack strengths and defense strengths of all monsters on the field for the rest of my turn, followed by one card face down. Finally, I will summon the Parasite Caterpillar in Attack mode." A second caterpillar appeared, a long, stringy creature with razorblade pincers and flaring bright eyes, upon which was a set of squiggling antennae. (800/1200) "Parasite Caterpillar, attack his Kotodama with Infecting Saw-tooth!" With unmatched speed the grub launched forward, as spikes rose in quick succession to latch onto the fairy.

_What is this moron thinking? Anything with even a decomposing brain can see that the Parasite will bite the dust if it tries to strike. Unless he want me to strike back; we will see. _"Kotodama, Counter Attack!" Once this command was issued, Kotodama balled both of it's fists and went into a jujitsu stance, and just as the insect came within striking distance, the pixie-like creature gripped the monstrosity and attempted to snap it in half. But not before the beast did something completely unexpected.

As soon as the Parasite was broken, a thousand other worm-like creatures swarmed into the open wound that was the result of the attack. Once the other parasitic bugs had crammed their way into the living flesh of Yusuke's duel monster, which in turn began to writh and moan in pain, Weevil's life points finally dropped. (4000/3200)

"Alright, Underwood, you've had your twisted fun, so explain to me what is wrong with my damn monster?!"

"Oh, it's quite simple, even for someone as underdeveloped as yourself. The special ability of my Parasite Caterpillar allows it to immobilize one creature on your side of the field, preventing it from attacking, defending, or even being sacrificed. So your Kotodama is now all but useless to you, for in three more turns my parasites will completely envelop and destroy the monster they infected. And remember, I still have the Cocoon of Evolution that has been pupating for a turn, so you only have four more turns to stop it!"

_And once my Parasite Caterpillar kicks in fully, you will have much worse to contend with..._

To Be Continued

Sorry I didn't include everything, but next chapter will make up for it.

Next time, Inuyasha will finally begin his first duel, as he ponders what Yami and Kikyo have to do with one another. Yami, meanwhile, starts up his duel, but is there more to his enemy than first appears? Roger, in the meantime, must deal with an old enemy...

Remember, the more you review, the more I update!


	25. The Wrath of God and Nature, Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything! Well, maybe the idea...

Okay, if you tuned in last time, you'll know that Hiei has been working overtime to match every move of both his enemies and rivals. On the frontlines, Kaiba is now preparing to withstand the wrath of his own God Card, and could break the duel. Weevil has also begun his plan of destruction.

This chapter deals with the other half of the story, in which Yami is forced into a match with the first of Naraku's "reincarnations", Kagura of the Wind. At this point, Inuyasha is preparing for whatever duel he is about to face, but it will by no means be an easy one. Roger will also start his first match. Kaiba will also finish his duel this chapter.

Here is the latest slew of cards from Time Mage:

Kamikaze: (Wind/Angel/Spirit/4/2100/1050)- When this monster is summoned, sacrifice monsters on your field to destroy one monster on your opponents field for each one you tribute. Any battle damage this card inflicts is dealt to both Duelists.

Reign of the Medium:(Continuous Magic)- When this card is activated, Special Summon one Spirit monster in your Graveyard. While this card is in play, Spirit monsters can be Special Summoned.

Raiju: (Dark/Thunder/Spirit/4/2400/400)-You must pay 700 Life Points to summon this monster. It cannot attack directly. If your opponent has any monsters in defense mode, this monster MUST attack them.

Raijin: (Light/Thunder/Spirit/5/2300/700)- When this monster is Normal Summoned, summon instantly one level four or lower Thunder Monster from your deck.

Raicho: (Air/Thunder/Spirit/4/1900/1400)- The turn that this monster is summed you may perform another Normal Summon.

Raiden: (Light/Thunder/Spirit/9/3300/2500)- This monster can only be special summoned by sacrificing one Raiju, Raijin, and Raicho from the field. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, Hand, or from play, instantly summon two Spirit monsters that have been removed from play (This one not included). While this monster is on the field, you may remove one Spirit monster in your Graveyard from play each turn to keep all other Spirit monsters on the field.

Doubted Faith: (Trap)- You may activate this card when you summon a Spirit monster. Summon all copies of that Spirit monster in your hand to the field.

Sacrifice Reversal: (Quick-Play)- Sacrifice one level five or higher Spirit monster on your field to summon Spirit monsters in your Graveyard whose total levels are less than or equal to the sacrificed monster.

Reincarnation: (Continuous Magic)- Special summon one Spirit Token' (Light/Spellcaster/Spirit/2/1000/1000) in defense mode. Each time a monster is destroyed in a battle that involved another Spirit monster, special summon one new Spirit Token if the destroyed monsters level was four or less, and two tokens if the level was five or higher.

Byakko: (Wind/Beast/Spirit/6/2200/2400)- When this monster is tribute summoned, destroy one Magic/Trap card and one monster on your opponents field. If this effect cannot be fully executed, destroy this monster immediately. This monster can remain face up on the field at the end of your turn if it is in defense mode.

Suzaku: (Fire/Winged-Beast/Spirit/5/2300/2800)- When this monster is summoned, destroy one Magic or Trap card on your opponents field for each card in their hand. This monster can remain face up on the field at the end of your turn if it is in defense mode.

Seiryu: (Water/Dragon/Spirit/5/2100/2500)- When this monster is summoned subtract 500 points from the mode that each of your opponents monsters is in. Add 200 attack points to this monster for each monster on your opponents field when he is first summoned. This monster can remain face up on the field at the end of your turn if it is in defense mode.

Genbu: (Earth/Rock/Spirit/6/1600/2600)- Each turn that this monster is face up on the field, increase its attack points by 800 during the Standby Phase. When this card attacks a face down monster, flip effects are not activated. This monster can remain face up on the field at the end of your turn if it is in defense mode.

Oni: (Dark/Fiend/Spirit/3/900/800)- When this monster is sacrificed to summon a Spirit monster, your opponent must discard one monster card from their hand.

Shinimegami: (Dark/Fiend/Spirit/4/1900/300)- When a monster is destroyed while this card is in your hand, summon this card instantly. When this card is destroyed in battle, remove the monster that destroyed it from play.

Yohkai: (Dark/Beast/Spirit/3/1300/200)- Increase this monsters attack and defense points by 700 for each face up Spirit monster on the field.

Baku: (Light/Angel/4/1000/1000)- When this monster is summoned, discard one Spirit monster from your hand to add that monsters attack and defense points to this monster until the End Phase of your opponents next turn.

Mazoku: (Dark/Fiend/Spirit/2/700/1400)- When this monster is destroyed in battle, instantly summon one Soul Token' (Light/Angel/Spirit/1/200/200) in attack mode This tokens cannot attack or change position.

Aku: (Dark/Fiend/Spirit/7/2500/2400)- When this monster destroys another monster in battle, create one Demon Token' (Dark/Fiend/Spirit/1/700/700) in attack mode This tokens cannot attack or change position.

Transfusion:(Normal Magic)- When you have a Spirit monster on your field, discard one Spirit monster on your field and activate one of two effects:

-Add the discarded monsters attack and defense points to the selected monster.

-Add the discarded monsters effect to the chosen monster.

Possession: (Continuous Magic)-Whenever a Spirit monster destroys another monster in battle, Special Summon the destroyed monster with stats of (1000/1000) at the end of the turn. For each monster revived in this manner and still on the field during your Standby Phase, you must pay 300 Life Points.

Sorry if I didn't show everything, but it is a lot of cards. Next time, another set.

Let's tear it up!

Chapter 24: Wrath of God and Nature, Part 2

Yami vs. Kagura

As Yami and the anonymous demon drew their starting hand, a combination of obscure glances and scans occurred in quick succession, every individual rotation of the optical lens delineating the opposition. Every slight motion, down to the most insignificant muscle spasm, was closely monitored, and this was mostly focused on the manner in which the two opposing powers held their set of cards. Both duelists new that a lot could be discerned from the confidence or apprehension with which any opponent gripped their respective hand; a smooth, unfettered grip usually meant that what they held was a suite of multitudinous powerhouses, whilst a hold brimming with fear meant the exact antonym for the enemy. Yet even as the royal entity scanned his demonic antagonist, he could determine little or nothing from either her countenance or steadiness of hand; both were the very picture of nonchalance, even total indifference.

_Well, one thing is certain above all else; our opponent has obviously danced these steps before, constantly perfecting each move and expression. It is as though she is a judge at any form of pageant, completely nonpartisan to any contestant, without favoritism or even pleasure at what is presented before them. Well, just in case, I'd better play the cards before me in a discreet manner, and hopefully I won't be caught in my own traps..._

"I'll make the first move, demon!" As his deck grew one unit thinner, Yami began to search through his current pool of resources, which were rather limited for such a conflict. The greater bulk of his legions was Magic cards, only one usable monster, and a decent trap. If anything at all, this was not a hand to hope for in high-stakes combat. However, if he could draw the appropriate cards, the scales of fate could hopefully come tumbling into his favor. As if that wasn't enough, Osiris was, rather luckily, concealed from the prying eyes of his enemy, and would hopefully stay that way. "I will start by placing three cards face down. Next I shall activate the Magic Card, Cost Down, which will allow me to discard one card from my hand to lower the level of all monsters in said hand by two. Next, I will activate one of my facedown cards, Monster Reborn, to resurrect the monster I sent to the Graveyard earlier, the all-powerful Kaiser Glider!" As the effect of Monster Reborn came to a close, a massive stream of blinding luminosity ignited the field in an array of colors and lights that could make even the most arrogant man weep in joy. As this pyrotechnic display drew to a close, a new creature remained in it's wake, a griffin-like dragon whose mighty paws dug into the earth. Sealed in golden armor that seemed to emulate the star Sol in every possible way, the beast spread open it's great wings, and let fly a powerful chorus. (2400/2000) "Next, I will summon one of the monsters whose level has been reduced this turn, so come forth Des Volstgulph!" Another dragon assimilated on the field, much smaller than the Kaiser Glider played seconds before, but no less intimidating. This creature was encased in a dark crimson and black armor, with a proud skull and vicious yellow eyes. (2200/1700) "And if you think that this turn is over, you are sadly mistaken, for I also activate this card from my hand, the Magic known as Big Bang Shot, which I will equip onto my Kaiser Glider to boost it's attack by 400!" (2800/2000) "With that, I end my turn."

With a grimace that seemed precipitated by the immediate summoning of two powerful enemy monsters, the mystery lady drew her starting card. The result was not spectacular, but it was an improvement on her earlier cards. "Very well, Yami. It's my move, and I shall commence by playing this magic card, Graceful Charity, which will allow me to draw three cards at the price of two! Next, I will place two cards face down, and summon Ashinigurai in defense mode." As two more cards came onto the playing field, a new creature emerged, a small, green-plumed bird, whose pale wings could barely lift it above the ground. Even as it was summoned, the cowardly poultry began to emit a shrill cry at the imposing dragons before it. (500/400) "To complete this move, the Equip Magic card, Gravity Axe Grarl will be used! It will boost the attack power of my Winged Beast by 500 points, and it's dense center will draw the creatures on your side of the field so that they cannot change their positions...except by the effect of another card. That is where my final Magic card comes into play; I activate Block Attack, which I will use on your Des Volstgulph! And remember, the Gravity Axe is now sealing him towards the core of the earth so that he cannot change back into attack mode! That will terminate my plan."

_What is she thinking?! It's obvious that my Kaiser Glider is more powerful than the Des Volstgulph she targeted, and even if the Ashinigurui she summoned will take out a card in my hand, she'll lose more life points thanks to the Big Bang Shot. So unless that face down card is some kind of trap, this duel is halfway finished. But in the meantime, I'll just have to make a move._

And the card he drew would help him accomplish that.

"I will begin my turn by activating one of my face-down cards, DNA Surgery!" From the bowels of this latest trap emerged a century worth of snapping zinc cable, tipped with a black syringe that was filled to the brim with DNA molecules. "This Trap card allows me to rework the genetic structure of all monsters on the field into any type I choose, so I select Spellcaster!" Once this command was issued, the cables shot forth and hooked deep into the backs of the monsters. As this happened, the DNA began to work instantly, restructuring the RNA that monitored a living being's existence, and slowly, the dragons and bird converted themselves into humanoid form. The Kaiser Glider became a towering figure, robed in golden Aztec ceremonial clothes, with a long stave carven of the purest silver. The Des Volstguplh, meanwhile, was draped in simple wool robes, studded with Gaelic designs hewn of obsidian. As for the Ashinigurai, it became a child mage, hardly two feet tall, with harsh yellow cloaks and fineries. "Next, I will activate the Magic card, Magical Academy, which will boost the level of one Spellcaster on the field by two, and give it an attack boost of 400 point, so I select my Kaiser Glider!" The Kaiser Glider Magician became two feet taller, and his staff turned into a massive device of bronze. (3200/2000) "Now, Kaiser Glider, attack her Ashinigurai with Stream of Helios!" The golden mage began to form an orb of incandescent light in both of his palms. while at the same time uttering a hex taken from Olmec religious ceremonies. Once the orb was finished, the Kaiser Glider set it atop the staff, and hurled it towards the younger magician.

"Thank you, Yami; you did everything exactly as I had hoped; I activate my two trap cards, Snake Fang and Magic Arm Shield!" The bird-like sorcerer was instantaneously endowed with a thick mechanical shield, while the Des Volstgulph lost 500 defense points thanks to Snake Fang. "You see, the Snake Fang allows me to deduct 500 defense points from any monster I choose, and as you can see, your Des Volstgulph was the target. And my Magic Arm Shield allows me to select one face-up defense monster, and that beast will be the target instead of my Ashinigurai. Magic Arm Shield, capture the Des Volstgulph now!"

From the sealed chamber on the device launched a spring-loaded arm at near impossible speed, and as it rocketed forth, the Des Volstgulph tried to leap away. But alas, this was not to be, for the electromagnetic claw of the machine drew any metals within the draconic necromancer and latched firmly on. Once this task was completed, the Ashinigurai activated a second mechanism, which yanked the dragon away from it's position...right into the Kaiser Glider's assault. Within seconds the weaker of the two was eliminated, taking a chunk of Yami's life points in the process. (2000/4000)

"Very well, I will set a monster in defense mode and end my turn. But before you proceed, give me your identity."

"For now, you may call me Kagura, Mistress of the Wind, but come the end of this duel you shall simply call me mistress. It's my move now!" _Exquisite. Two down, one to go. _"I shall now sacrifice my Ashingurai to summon Byakko the white tiger in Attack mode! And don't forget, since my Ashinigurai is being sent to the cemetery, you automatically lose a card from your hand." Once Yami had discarded, a new, more ferocious creature came forth. It was a gargantuan tiger, pale white with rather bizarre green stripes and the mane to suit. It's claws were tipped in pale ivory and soaked with human blood, and it's tail lashed the ground to the point that the earth cracked beneath it. (2200/2400) "I believe you are familiar with the story of the four Saint Beasts?"

_How could I forget? If what Yusuke told me about these damnable things is true, then I am in more trouble than ever before..._

"Well, this is one of those mighty guardians, who supposedly controlled the dark confines of another dimension. But now the White Tiger is mine, and the others roam Duel Fortress as we speak, in card form. All of these creatures are Spirit Monsters, however, so I will have to make this turn count. Since Byakko was summoned normally, I am allowed to destroy one Monster and one Magic or Trap on your side of the field. So I select your Kaiser Glider and DNA Surgery!" Immediately upon command, the great cat began to pull out two hairs from it's shaggy mane, and with a single breath blew them towards the targeted creatures. These were no ordinary hairs, however, for as soon as they fell upon the targets they became vicious, bear-like animals who shattered the Trap and disemboweled the Kaiser Glider. "Now, my beast, attack his face down monster with Razor Claw Strike!" Charging forth unchecked, Byakko lunged onto the facedown card, and would have torn it to shreds had Yami not activated his last face down card.

"GO, MULTIPLY!"

Byakko did strike, but not what he had intended, for all that was sent into oblivion were a token number of Kuribo, which were in turn, replaced by another surge of the brown fuzz balls.

"Since the face down card I played was a Multiply, my single Kuribo has become an impenetrable wall of exponentially growing creatures. For every one you destroy, a hundred more will take it's place. And you can't forget that thanks to the standard effect of Spirit monsters, your Byakko will be returning to your hand at the end of this turn, so for the most part, this was a wasted turn on your behalf, and come my turn I will be able to mount a direct attack on your life points!"

"Oh, is that what you so stupidly believe, Yami? Well, in that case, you are even more simpleminded than I thought! So to prove this point I will play my last card, another Block Attack, which will switch my tiger into defense mode. With that I end my turn." But even as her turn ended, Kagura's Spirit did not return to her hand.

"What is the meaning of this!?"

It was with a rather cruel smile that Kagura explained the situation. "You seem somewhat nonplussed, Pharaoh, so allow me to discuss the power of the Saint Beasts so that even you can comprehend it. Byakko, Genbu, Suzaku, and Seriyuu can remain on the field even after my turn ends, so long as they are in defense mode when this occurs. In combination with the strong defense of the beasts, this effect makes them the most versatile of the Spirit monsters, and it was for this reason that only five of each were released. I believe your friend Urameshi has one of the creatures in his deck. So go ahead and make your move. Even with your barricade of fur and claws protecting you, it will only be a matter of time before my great beast carves through your life points!"

Unheeding of these jeering words, Yami drew his next card, and as he did so, a multitude of emotions ran through him; excitement, fear, a degree of spiritualism, all with good reason. His violet eyes traced the great wyrm he held before him, and confirmed what he had both prayed for and hoped against. Curling forth in a serpentine manner, its red scales and jet black claws made it a fearsome sight. Closer to the head were not one, but two mouths lined with jagged fangs and yellow eyes that seemed to imply that this was no ordinary beast. Spread near the center of it's cylindrical body were two red and black pinions, that seemed to display a great amount of primal rage.

The Saint Dragon of Osiris. Slifer the Sky Dragon.

New Paradigm Museum, Ancient Cultures Exhibit

For the larger portion of New Paradigm's youth, the recently constructed New Paradigm Museum was not of much consequence in their cataclysmic lives, and more often than not, they would defile some of the more valuable exhibits and artifacts purely out of mean spirit. To them, the collection of rare and priceless _objet d'art _was yet another pathetic attempt for the older (and generally worse off) generations of the city to regain the memories from the pre-Event world. And not the outside civilization's memories, who were apt to be thought of as nonexistent, but rather the memories of their people, lost to the ages much like the mythological municipality that was Atlantis.

However correct or fallacious these assumptions were, the vast storage of man's rise (and fall if one is a pessimist) to power still fascinated countless people that were not loath to visit the rose quartz, Romanesque stronghold of a museum. In particular, one young man was overwhelmed by the walls and showcases loaded with the collective intellect of humankind.

But he was by no means young, and he wasn't completely a man. In fact, he wasn't even a full hominid like nearly everyone else.

Inuyasha had been perusing the halls of this monolithic place, searching for something..._anything_...to occupy his attention for the moment, at least until he could rearrange his priorities in some plausible order. So far, he had not been able to find an opponent worthy of the dueling deck he had spent so long in creating, and frankly it aggravated him that the elite duelists were nowhere to be found. Even at this, the cultural and intellectual zenith of high society, there was not even a trace amount of worthy opponents.

_Of course, a key is, by definition, as much of worth in any duelist's hands, but the past five years have changed me...presumably for the better. I want to get to the finals arena on the grounds that I am one of the best, not because I beat the shit out of some snot-nosed novices and got easy wins. When the human population of this damnable city discusses the final duels of this tournament, I won't be described as the wetback who lucked out when push came to shove. _ Despite this rather noble proclivity to enter of his own skills, it was highly unlikely that the half-demon would go against the metaphorical cream of the crop until it became necessary to do so. After all, he supposed, why spoil the odds of victory by going over your head on the get-go?

It was indeed a lesson he had learned the hard way...

Flashback __

"NOW, GUARDIAN EATOTSU, DIRECT ATTACK!"

Unchecked by anything save the height in which it could breath useful air, the tribal faerie launched itself into the heavens, seeming like to royalty as it gazed down like a falcon at the kingdom which it's master had accumulated, almost awestruck as it shifted the claymore that it held into a downward position. As this ceremony occurred miles above all else, it's master looked down, down at the archaic life point counter his inadequate servant had devised, made up mostly of poor wood and pulley stones that took minutes to tune properly. But, if for a moment, this headache would be worth it soon enough once he had finally put his ancient rival to shame.

With unmatched strength and skill, the mighty angel hurled itself downwards, blade focused squarely on the chest of her unknown enemy, feeling nothing as the blade slashed across this demon's life points, causing him to collapse to the cold dirt. (0/4000)

_No. Not now; not after all I've endured to get to this point. That bastard couldn't have beaten me, he just couldn't have!_

"I must say, I am impressed, baby brother, and I put the emphasis on baby. You have not only managed to send three of my monsters to the graveyard, but this was the first time you actually survived more than 10 turns. However, your skills are still abysmal to the utmost degree."

As Sesshomaru walked slowly towards him, Inuyasha tried to lift himself back up on his feet, but it was indeed an uphill struggle, as his only living relative had just ousted him in one of the harshest matches he had ever gone through. Every second seemed to play the part of a millennium, every waking nerve tossing expletives at him for his stupidity. Even with these constant impediments he continued to rise, even as blood flowed ever freely from the wounds of the shadow game he had been forced into. But Sesshomaru would not have it.

"Sit, you foul hound! Bow before your master, and tremble in fear!"

It was with a single backhanded strike that the Lord of the Western Lands laid his own flesh and blood back to the ground, scattering Inuyasha's deck of cards helter-skelter. A few floated gently into the riverbank and were washed away by the current, but they were of little significance compared to the bulk that remained. More blood trickled down the dog demon's face, leaving a bitter aroma as it vanished into his open mouth. To any other, the gruesome sight would have moved them to pity, but Sesshomaru, firstborn son of the most powerful wolf fiend to ever walk the earth, was not swayed by pity, or any emotion save wrath and greed. In this deranged mindset, he lifted Inuyasha high up, forcing his eyes to stare directly into the sun, and as he did so began to constrict his fingers, tightening them very slowly so that his brother would die in no end of pain...

End Flashback

But it didn't go down like that, not in the least. Had that servile toad Jaken not jumped in to deliver a strange message which Inuyasha had not caught, it was likely Sesshomaru would have killed him; ironically enough, those were the very stakes of the match the two had gone under. It had by no means been an even footing; despite the fact that Duel Monsters had been around for only half a century, the bastard had trained himself in every aspect, and by his own doing, he became the self-proclaimed "Lord of Games." Granted, Sesshomaru had yet to face the true champions like Kaiba or Yugi, but even the brother of this man had to admire his skills...no matter how he used them.

_But even to this day, I can't help but wonder how, or even why, Sesshomaru stopped trying to finish me off, or what was so damn important that he let me go. Of all the people and demons that I have encountered, he is the one that hates me above any others. The better part of his life was spent trying to destroy me, so why, just as he is about to accomplish his life's work, does he walk off without any explanation whatsoever? It doesn't make any sense, but I have a strong feeling that he'll be back to finish the job._

With these puzzling inquiries buzzing about his head, the infamous dog demon continued to worm his way through the compound that was the museum, stopping at intermittent times to stare at a piece of a time long since past. Yet as interesting as each exhibit seemed to be, the brash half-blood was slowly becoming impatient. There weren't even any people in this area, let alone worthy duelists, and so his search was beginning to seem in vain. Every second that ticked off into infinite oblivion seemed to become years wiled away in sloth, and minutes dragged on in the guise of centuries. On occasion, Inuyasha's keen olfactory units picked up a human scent, but this was soon lost to the ages, never to be explained or even understood. And with not a peep of sound to distract him, the silence itself began to scream at him in a bold, if tone-deaf, tenor pitch. Yet even as his world was about to come down into madness, he found himself before a massive alabaster tablet. The plaque near it stated "Found in the Tomb of Akunamon XVI, circa 1853".

_Very strange indeed. From what I can read of it, Akunamon was a renowned scholar in the Library of Giza until his suicide at about 37 years of age. He had supposedly been responsible for maintaining the records of the Yami no Game, or Dark Games, and had also been entrusted by the reigning minister of the time to make a recording of the...Battle of Four Souls?_

Slightly perturbed by this strange information, Inuyasha continued to read. _About four centuries before the Roman conquest of Egypt, the monarch of the age, Pharaoh_ _Atemu was in conference with the Priest of Anubis, Bakse, who had been captured for high treason against the crown. Supposedly, Bakse had sold sacred relics from the burial chambers where he had worked for half a century, and had also purloined Priesthood text to the same client. Taking this into account, Atemu decided to wage war on the man who had bought the artifacts, for he was under the impression that he would use these powers against the kingdom._

The description continued on to say that the bulk of the information was in a specific type of hieroglyphs that nobody could translate; it wasn't even recorded on the Rosetta Stone. Only one man had ever completely understood the language, and he had died under very suspicious circumstances two years earlier. However, paintings of several influential individuals had been found nearby, and it was hoped by archaeologists that these carvings could be used to piece together the missing links. The engravings, although not completely wear free, were, strangely enough, in near mint condition. And it was this selfsame set of carvings that next attracted Inuyasha's attention.

For the most part, the stonework pictures were familiar faces; Inuyasha knew every detail about the past lives of Yami, Kaiba, and the others. Despite this knowledge, it was still rather disturbing to see the faces of his latest comrades in pictograph form. To add to the eerie familiarity were images of the Battle; demons and monsters clashing in the desert sun, soldiers of all kinds swapping blows and blocking cuts. Far in the distance of all of them was the symbol of Amun-Ra from Egypt's brief monotheistic stage, as well as the three Egyptian God Monsters, whom the demon had heard much about from Kaiba and Yami. Another constant theme was the set of the three Avatars of Chaos, a trio of unstoppable creatures capable of saving or destroying the world.

But one piece of masonry in particular caught his eye; it was a singular woman, who could be called tall even by looking at her portrait. Her features were tormented and worn by many torments, yet her unfettered hair and yew bow gave her a sense of strength.

The features were of one woman, and even in Egyptian antiquity Inuyasha could recognize her.

_Is that...Kikyo?_

What had once been silence now turned into a tumultuous bellow, as every sense that he had launched at him full force. He could feel insanity sinking the serrated claws of unreason and madness deep into the flesh of his psyche, seeping black venom into the very soul whilst the beast clamped onto his head, causing all structure and logic to deteriorate into a chaotic law. All that he had believed in these past years seemed all for nothing, the very fabric of his self now torn asunder. He could not possibly grasp what had been presented before him, try as he might; how was the Priestess Kikyo, with whom he had been infatuated lo these many years, related to the past. With the little strength he could muster, Inuyasha (who had learned some Hieratic via Kagome) traced down to the caption below this mystifying portrait.

_Priestess Kikyo, the lover of Pharaoh Atemu._

Everything stopped, all bodily functions ceased to operate, as his already frazzled mind struggled to process this massive piece of data. All time had stopped to him, and he did not even notice his knees buckle to the granite floor. Nothing mattered anymore, not now at least, now that all he had endured, the literal hell he had crashed through and into, had come crashing down upon him. This was not a blow to his ego; this was it's death sentence. Everything he had known of Kikyo, all they had fought for, was naught but a half-truth? Had she really been a priestess in Egypt as well as that of Japan?

Had there been a pistol or any kind of firearm about, Inuyasha would have been dead.

_What can this mean? I knew that Kikyo was once of noble blood, bearing her position in mind, but was she truly of an Egyptian heritage? Has all I knew of her been a lie, or am I simply going insane?_

Perhaps a combination of the two.

Inuyasha, who had never communicated by mind link or even telepathy before, was now absolutely certain he had gone psychotic, and even now struggled to regain what little control he had left of his mind.

_Look up, you imbecile. You are not going insane, but you will drive me to that point._

As per the voice's command, the dog demon stared up into the rafters of the place...and could not believe what he saw.

Hanging from the stone support beams of the museum, using an elongated rose as the steadying cable, was a man, or so he appeared. This strange humanoid stood a full six and a half feet tall, with extensive platinum hair exactly like his damnable brothers, and a simple white robe with the flat sole shoes to match. His eyes, on the other hand, were of the same hue of Inuyasha's own, although the emotions here were ruthless and cold. But the most unique feature was his set of protruding fox ears, as well as the blanch Duel Gauntlet he sported.

_That scent...it's impossible! No one on Earth smelled like that since..._

The demon leapt upon the display case, and with the selfsame determination tossed a handful of seeds onto the ground, and even with no soil, the spirit energy backing them caused a wall of grass to surround the two.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Please do not play the jackass this time, Lord Inuyasha. I am simply too tired to deal with this drivel. However, if you must know why I am here, I have been hired to crush you in a game of Duel Monsters. The winner of this match will gain one key and rarest card from the loser, and if you should lose this match, I will personally feed you to my seedling minions. And I believe that you already know who I am, so let's begin this!"

"Very well...Yoko Kurama."

Rosewater Corporation Warehouse, Business district of New Paradigm

_Here. Here is where it all began, the final year of Paradigm City, when all would be decided. At this point I stand, seven years later, everyone I know dead or insane, without anything but a deck and a broken dream._

The compound was basically still the same, architecturally that is. It was still a massive warehouse, and even now one could see the charred parts that the best cleaning ages could not remove, the framework that previously housed one of the most powerful machines to ever walk the city. Every so often, a conversation of words bellowed over the steady hum of machinery, but the better part was still in exactly the same position it had been so long ago. Even now, Roger could see the shattered glass that had been the result of his first few days with the android, R. Dorothy Wayneright, the events of which he could still clearly recall.

_How you and I dealt with each other for so many months, every insult to my intelligence, each time you so callously referred to me as "louse." Even when I first met you I could almost tell, impalpable as it was, that you were the one to break me out of the chauvinistic loop I found myself spinning in. To this day I realized something; I never answered your question, how if you were human, would I have fallen in love with you. Well, it didn't matter if you were human or android, because I fell for you regardless. But I know that you won't come back, not now..._

Flashback

Total white.

Whiter than the snow that had fallen on the city for so many years, bleaker than any perspective yet known to mankind. Vast expanses of nothing, save a small black point that always seemed the same distance away no matter how fast or long you ran to it. Paradoxes seemed to be the mortar of this place, mysticism the scaffolds, enigmas the brick and drywall. Time seemed to have come to a screeching halt, yet still kept trudging forth at an excruciating pace. All seemed at harmony, yet madness was present in all places. It existed and yet was not there at all, like a dream that seems to be reality and yet is but a figment of the psyche. The air inhaled was truly air but had no actual structure, And in the middle of this illogical world were two figures, that stood and yet did not stand.

_Ugh. Wait a minute, where am I? For an instant I thought that I was fighting the Big Fau, and then..._

Oh my God.

With the utmost swiftness Roger Smith came to what frayed senses he had to work with, and as he did so scanned all that seemed to exist. His mind perceived that there were two black dots far in the distance, but as he ran towards them they stayed far away from him, as though moving of their own accord, but when he stopped, they stopped in synchronization. The very laws of perspective appeared to be unraveled.

"What the hell is going on?! How could I even by in this place; I just started to stop that other Megadeus from destroying the city! Where am I?!"

"Where you are is not the question to consider, negotiator. The crucial point of query is who you are, and even that is a thought of minimal significance."

_No, oh almighty one no. Not here, not now..._

Do not try to hide your thoughts from me, Paradigm dog. In this hidden world, neither of us are bound by reality. In this formerly unseen universe I could amass all matter-based materials and condense it into a point the size of an eraser shaving, and from this create a whole new reality. If I so chose, this entire world could become a plaything for my amusement, but alas, I will refrain, for to commit an act here is to shred what little is left solid in the real universe. Which raises an interesting hypotheses; what is the honest reality, this galaxy or the next?

Unable to stand the voice any longer, the ex-negotiator turned towards it's source, and it was just as he had expected. Hovering a few feet above the surreal ground was a powerfully built man in shabby, age-torn clothing, completely covered in bloody bandages with at least one fractured piece of bone punching out of the flesh. In one of his hands was a bronze ax head, drenched in human fluids, whilst the other gave much-needed shelter to a thick sheaf of parchment.

"SCHWARZVALD!!! This isn't possible, let alone reality! You were supposed to be dead!"

With a nearly imperceptible grimace, the reporter of Paradigm turned his head to the only point of horizon in the place. "I was supposed to be a myriad of things, negotiator. I was meant to die many times, slated to have my life destroyed innumerable epochs, and all I had accomplished in life should have come to fruition more times than I can possibly number. But none of the planned occurrences ever arrived, for as you can see, I have endured more, lost more, and suffered more than any mortal man alive. But for me, this world would have been bloated on it's own ego, unable to even grasp that the post-apocalyptic Earth was perhaps not as endless as once thought."

"What are you blathering on about? You know as well as I do that Paradigm is the only remaining human establishment left!"

"You have many questions, and precious few answers are readily available, even for someone of my fortitude. But did you seriously believe that the stories of foreign Megadeii were naught but tales to frighten children who had mistreated others? We have never been alone, negotiator; the Event was not the end of humanity, rather the ebb of our own lifetime. Paradigm City is finished, there is nothing left but shattered hopes and broken hearts, and it is all of your fault."

"How could it be my fault? Rosewater reawakened the Big Fau, not me!"

Silence stood like a gulf between the two, up until Schwarzvald turned towards the Point.

"To a degree, it is all of our blame to take, from which count I am not removed. It all came onto our heads, as we struggled to grasp the sliding rope of our own magnitude with half a palm. And we all paid for it, with our lives. You were the exception, though; of all the meat headed buffoons in Paradigm Corp., you were the most in tune with what truly was. But for the rest of our kind, we are cursed to a different fate. I am damned to an infinite journey across the void of time and space, hunting a truth that may not even exist, but perhaps our paths will cross again someday. And perhaps, in some final ironic twist, we can reconcile with each other, but until then, I shall see you another day."

As the reporter walked off, footsteps clacking against the quasi-metal floor, he turned to look upon his old foe once more, for what might be the last time.

"When you awaken, your vehicle will be waiting for you at the bottom of the heap of metal at which you stand. In the trunk of this car is an attaché case, in which you will find a deck of cards and a compact disk. The laptop you will need to play the disk is fully charged in the backseat. Once you play said disk, all that I have said, in fact, everything that has occurred even before forty years ago, will be explained. Good bye...Roger Smith."

And in that moment, all went black, as Roger fell into what seemed a void of infinite darkness...

End Flashback

_I watched that entire movie, from beginning to end, and as I did so I began to realize all that I had been struggling with my whole life was playing out before me. Every iota of knowledge at my fingertips, playing and telling all who would listen. I learned of the Event, what had led to it, how it connected to the world I had thought I knew, and most of all, the game of Duel Monsters, which I took to heart as all that I had left._

But to that very moment one scene would play itself over and over again, shrieking it's blasphemous message without fail at what he had failed in. To this day, he was forced to repeat it, perhaps by some unnoted spark in his subconscious mind.

_I watched her die, again and again, as though it had decided to thrust itself into my very mind._

In his cerebrum anever-repetitious act was pored over, and while seen infinite times before, it always brought unshed tears ever closer to being shed. Trapped beneath two-hundred tons of sheet metal was R. Dorothy, stunned completely, unable to even move as the porous cliff side to which she was bound cracked and fell into the near-bottomless sea.

_I'm sorry, Dorothy. After all those times protecting you, I wasn't even there to save you from the claws of death. But did you die, or are you slowly forgetting all that you once knew as your computerized mind is saturated with salt water._

Smith was, however, a practical man, and deep in his heart he had come to accept the fact that even androids were incapable of surviving in high-pressure oceans buried in steel for a course of seven years. So eventually, he gave up on life, gathered what little outside money he could, and whiled his days in an old log cabin by the harbor. But even with the calm life of freelance jobs and dueling tournaments he could not fill the massive chasm that had once been his heart. And although he was officially here on business, Roger could not help but think that New Paradigm still held some of the mysteries of it's forebears.

_This is how it all ends, isn't it? After all these years, I am finally going to die. No opulent funeral, no brilliant casket, just another tick on the obituaries as the newspapers are shuffled. Well, why shouldn't I die now? Out of all of our units, I am the weakest duelist; I have no reason to live anymore, no enigmas to reveal. What's the point of going on?_

Raising his tormented eyes to the boundless heavens, Roger Smith began to tug away at the grizzled hair left to him, as the tears of insanity long withheld streamed with unrelenting compulsion. The scars of an era long since annihilated by the universe split asunder, and stained the cement floor with human fluid, as the screams of inhumanity were born anew in the screams of a man who had become fixated on his own wretchedness. The very saliva that had settled within his jaw grew immensely sour, or was it the green bile of his own self destruction? All seemed befuddled as the blades of madness cut him apart, and with one great bellow, the psychosis was released.

"DOROTHY!!!"

What had once been the very example of gracious dignity had turned in an exact opposite direction, as his worn fists smashed against the cold ground. Each strike knocked away a flurry of asphalt and mortar, which were soon saturated in blood, sweat, and tears, and once more. he lifted the slowly deteriorating skull unto the skies.

"OH GOD, GIVE ME ONE REASON WHY I SHOULD NOT KILL MYSELF NOW!"

"That is a very simple question to answer, you obstinate bastard. I want you to stay alive so that I can tear out your spinal cord and hang you with it!"

The voice resounded across the compound like shattered glass being slowly dragged across a massive chalkboard; even the worst toned cats were appalled by the very decibel level of that voice, which was strangely familiar. Although the elocution in general was standard, the way it was spoken gave Roger a very strange gut feeling, for the end result of the voice being sent up the nerves and into the cerebellum was that it seemed that two people were speaking. One was familiar, almost, and the other sounded as though it was a soul dragged out of the deepest parts of purgatory.

"Red Destiny."

"I'm glad to see you still remember my name after all these years negotiator. Regardless, it is long past the day you were slated to die, and now I have come to finish the job that Rosewater and his pathetic lackeys could never complete! So once I throw you out of this tournament in one final duel, I will personally strangle you with my bare hands."

"Very well, so why not step outside, and let me begin the duel?"

As if on cue, a new character stepped out of the shadows, fairly short for such a powerful sounding voice, but also dressed in a rather bizarre fashion. The close-cropped auburn hair and bleak sable dress were fairly normal, but atop all of this was a large red cloak, which seemed to accent her demonic grin.

"As you wish." (4000/4000)

Kaiba vs. Miroku

"Hand Rebirth? Ha! That's completely ridiculous, Kaiba; even I know that the Hand Rebirth Magic card was banned from circulation by Pegasus, when he realized it was much too powerful for standard play. The question is, however, where on Earth did you get such a card?"

It was with a cruel smirk that Kaiba sent his entire hand into the discard pile, as Miroku followed suit. "That, I am afraid, is a secret that I cannot reveal to you at the present time, but I can see that you know the effect of the card. In which case, we may now both draw from our decks until five cards are drawn." _This is my last chance; if I don't draw exactly the right cards now, his Tormentor will activate it's special effect, instantly ending the match here and now. And this is no longer about my victory; not only do I have to keep moving in the tournament to stop that monster Hiei, I also have to prove that nobody violates my beloved and walks away unscathed. Come on, Heart of the Cards, guide my hand..._

Eyes of the deepest blue scanned the fresh cards fate had dealt him, and it was with the shock of finding Excalibur that he stared at these powerful avatars of salvation. It was all in the hands of God now.

"Miroku, this duel is over, for the five cards I have drawn are the only ones capable of destroying Obelisk. So prepare to fall! I will start this move by summoning Versago the Destroyer in attack mode!" From one of the monster zones screamed a hideous fiend, about twenty feet tall, with a skull-like head and heavy silver hide, while straps of dark necromancy clamped down upon the demon. (1100/800)

As the monk stared at this satanic yet pathetic creature, his self control crumbled in light of complete hysteria, for he began to roll about on the ground crying with laughter. Barely managing to control himself, Miroku choked out, "Is this some kind of joke? Out of all the sad attempts at victory you have made so far, all the failed assaults you have dared to mount against me, this is the best you can come up with? Well, if you are trying to slay me with laughter, then I am sorry to say it will not work."

_The stupidity of this one is astounding, unless he is trying to avoid the writings on the wall on purpose. Well, if that is the case, I wil force him to see his own damnation._

"You simply don't get it, do you, Miroku? Why would I summon a creature with fewer attack points than your weakest monster unless I had a plan in mind? Well, perhaps I should have mentioned that in a fusion, Versago can substitute for any absent monster, but only one of these creatures can be used per fusion. And so I activate the Magic card, Polymerization, to fuse Versago the Destroyer and my two remaining Blue Eyes White Dragons, and in doing so form the strongest beast that my deck could spawn. _Behold, the unbridled fury of the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!_"

On both sides of Versago appeared two more Blue Eyes White Dragons, glaring with pure loathing at the Airknight Parshath that had killed their sister in combat, whilst Versago began to utter a chant from the deepest bowels of Spirit World. As this powerful hex was recited, a vortex of prismatic light appeared before all three creatures, and without any remorse the rift in the universe drew the monsters deep into it's bowels. And for a split second, absolutely nothing happened.

Right up until the will of God let fly it's final hammer stroke.

A massive shaft of blue energy screamed up into the sky, tearing to pieces what few clouds could be found at this altitude. Along the sides of this ray of light spread innumerable multitudes of spiderwebbing cracks, which reached the very feet of both players before coming to a halt, and from the fracture in concrete flared up even more such luminosity. All seemed chaotic and confused for seconds which took on the guise of centuries, and even with this apocalyptic development occuring around them, all competitors and spectators stood waiting with bated breath. Until a new beast emerged: an impossibly huge dragon similar to the Blue Eyes, with powerfully developed wings and merciless claws. These features, however, could not possibly draw attention away from each of the reptile's three massive heads, armed to the very brim with razorblade teeth, and all observing with callous cerulean eyes that, deep within, had a small spark of humanity. (4500/3800)

_He does it again. In only one turn, Seto managed to call upon a creature that not even Obelisk could defeat without it's effect, and soon he will avenge me for what happened to my person. How could anyone hate him, after all he did for me?_

"YES!!! FINISH THE JOB, SETO!"

But despite the overbearing circumstances at hand, Miroku still held on to some trivial light of optimism. "Impressive, Kaiba; even I have to admit that you made a valient effort to save your hide. But I am afraid that it is too little, too late. For even though you have summoned the Ultimate Dragon, it is still bound by the law of fusion in this tournament. It cannot attack in the turn it was summoned by Polymerization, and by the time it can attack, my Tormentor will have activated it's ability of Soul Tribute, demolishing all monsters on your side of the field and instantly removing what few life points that you still lay claim to."

"Very perceptive; but unlike you, I know how to use my monsters efficiently, and I wouldn't have summoned the Dragon had I not wholeheartedly believed that I could end this duel in one final attack with it. How stupid do you think I am, monk? Well, we are about to find out, for I activate my final card, Quick Attack! This Magic card will allow one of my monsters to attack immediately, even if they are Fusion Summoned. And now, the time has come to end this, once and for all. Face it, Miroku, everybody has his or her time to leave this plane, and I have barely managed to avoid this. As for you, I am glad to say that..._your number is up! Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, destroy Obelisk the Tormentor with Neutron Blast Attack!_"

As this final command fell upon the ears of the Blue Eyes, each head pointed their open maws towards the Egyptian God Monster that had defeated them once before, and in this process began to charge a cannons worth of electrical might that would have devastated an entire army if launched. All seemed to, yet again, grow silent as the triple onslaught of strength prepared to fire...and fire it did.

Instead of being propelled like a cannon shot, as had been done previously, this beast of the heavens sent all of it's grandeur in a sweeping wave of light so powerful that the very earth seemed to quake in trepidation, and in it's turn collapsed upon itself. But this ground was not the target, and even Obelisk knew that it's time had come. Still, the titan reared back and lauched one final world-shattering punch, and yet was torn apart instantly, waterfalls of black blood gushing out of the exit wounds that the burst stream had created. And the god still clutched it's chest, barely able to stand as it's spirit sailed back into the netherworld, before crashing onto the field. (150/0)

"I believe that is game, Miroku."

It was with gait imperial that Seto Kaiba walked over to his fallen enemy, and from his shellshocked hand drew the golden key that would bring him ever closer to the final round, and at the same time took the Airknight Parshath and Obelisk the Tormentor that were rightfully his.

"Well, he may be too shocked to give me any information I could actually use, but at least I gained his rarest card and recovered my own." But for Kaiba, celebration was to be short-lived.

"Bravo, Kaiba, bravo! I must say, your skills in this game have been truly inspirational to me. But despite this, I think that it is time to recover what is ours."

From deep within the bushes next to him emerged Schwarzvald.

"So, Hiei has terrorists working for him now? He really is quite pathetic."

Grinning with his usual dementia, Seebach began to fumble through his black leather duffel bag for some kind of sundry item.

"I would be mindful of what you say about my master, you unenlightened dolt. In this world and the next, his is a power that could shatter Time itself. But for now, I am willing to forgive you..._post mortem, that is!_"

It was now revealed that in his hands Schwarzvald held a gigantic axe similar in size to what Bui had used in the Dark Tournament three years ago, but was shaped much like that of a Varangian tool. With this powerful tool of destruction, the enigmatic reporter charged forward, preparing to eviscerate Kaiba in one sweep.

However, this move was blocked by one of Kaiba's own. For blocking the vicious path of the ax was Kaiba's one handed claymore, light and still strong enough to defeat any opponent. Pushing away the offending weapon, Kaiba shot forth with the speed of a marathon runner and carved away at Schwarzvald's chest, with yet another flesh-rending blow that tore open his back. The reporter tried to block again, but his weapon was instantly swiped away with yet another well-precisioned cut.

Kaiba now stood above his attacker, fully ready to crush the sword right into the throat of his new enemy, when a scream all too familiar tore through the air.

"SETO!!!"

Turning once again towards the sound, Kaiba beheld a hideous sight that would haunt him forever. Botan, bruised and splattered with blood, was being dragged into the backseat of a silver Cadillac by two black suited thugs.

"NO!!! BOTAN, HOLD THEM OFF; I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

"I'm afraid not, Seto Kaiba!"

Even as he ran forward to recapture his lady love, the all-powerful CEO was pulsing with over a thousand volts of pure electricity, and as this occured he could feel his synapses lock up. But as he slipped into unconciousness, two things worked into his head: Schwarzvald was shouting at his men to hurry up, and about thirty of them were already dead...

To Be Continued

Okay, I'll admit that wasn't my greatest chapter, but I gave it my all.

Next time, Yami, Yusuke and Inuyasha will continue their matches, whilst Kaiba tries to find Botan in this massive city. At the same time, Hiei will reflect on how the Grim Reaper turned against him, and an all too familiar face returns.

See ya around, and until then...READ, REVIEW, AND DON'T FLAME!


	26. King of Darkness, Prince of Light

Disclaimer: If I owned any of this, would I be here today?

Alright, last time was the climactic end to Kaiba's duel with Miroku, which ended with the brutal kidnapping of Botan. Yami, Roger, and Inuyasha also started their duels.

In Chapter 26, a new general of Sesshomaru, Kachikachi, is introduced, while Yami, Yusuke, and Inuyasha proceed with duels of their own. In the meantime, Kaiba tries to recapture his lost love, as Hiei reflects on his rise to power and the only one who stood against him. Also, one of Kaiba's first enemies returns with vengeance on his mind...

Here is the Zodiac set from Time Mage, used by R.D. and Inuyasha:

Pisces: (Water/Fish/3/1400/1800)- When this monster is summoned, special summon one Star Token' (Light/Angel/2/500/500). Summon one Star Token' during each of your Standby Phases as long as this monster remains on the field.

Leo: (Earth/Beast/7/2700/2000)- Whenever this monster is destroyed by an opposing monster, if you have a Pool of Reflecting Stars' in play, you may special summon this monster to your field during your next Standby Phase at the cost of 700. This card cannot have Equipment Magic cards placed on it.

Libra: (Light/Angel/3/900/2100)- When this monster is summoned, select one of the fallowing effects:

-Draw one extra card each turn.

-During your Standby Phase, the player with few cards draws until he/she has the same number in their hand as their opponent.

-During each of your Standby Phases, the player with the most cards in their hand discards until both players hold the same number.

This effect carries on so long as this card is on the field or Graveyard.

Aires: (Earth/Beast/4/1900/1600)- When this card is destroyed, roll a six-sided dies and lower the level of one Zodiac-Class monster in your hand by that amount.

Taurus: (Earth/Beast/6/2500/1000)- When this monster attacks a defense mode monster that has fewer defense points than this cards attack, deal damage. If this monster fails to destroy an opposing monster in battle, return that monster to its owners hand. When this monster is destroyed, special summon one Star Token' (Earth/Beast/1/200/100) in defense mode. That token cannot be sacrificed for summoning.

Cancer: (Water/Aqua/4/1100/2200)- If your opponent discards this card from your hand, special summon it during your next Main Phase One. This monster takes battle damage, even while in defense mode. Monsters that battle this defense monster with fewer attack points than this cards defense points, destroy that monster.

Virgo: (Light/Angel/3/1000/700)- Flip this monster outside of battle to take control of one enemy monster. At the end of the turn, that monster is destroyed.

Gemini: (Dark/Spellcaster/4/1200/1500)- This monster counts as two separate monsters. During Main Phase One, Union them together to combine their attack points. If destroyed by any means of your opponent, you take seven hundred points of direct damage.

Scorpio: (Fire/Insect/6/2300/500)- If this monster is forced into defense mode via a monster, magic, or trap effect, switch its stats so that it has the maximum points of the two in that mode. This effect only lasts one turn.

Sagittarius: (Wind/Angel/4/1600/1900)- While this monster is in play, its opponent cannot play magic cards. This cards controller takes 700 points of damage each turn.

Capricorn: (Fire/Angel/4/1500/200)- As long as this monster is face up on the field, your opponent cannot target your other Zodiac monsters on the field. So long as this card is face up, all Zodiac-Class monsters receive a 300 attack increase.

Aquarius: (Water/Spellcaster/3/400/600)- Each turn that this monster is face up on the field, raise your Life Points by 500. If this monster is destroyed in battle, all battle damage becomes zero and that attack points of the monster that destroyed this card are added to your Life Points.

Reflecting Pool of Stars: (Field Magic)- While this card is face up on the field, all Zodiac-Class monsters receive 300 extra attack points. Each player receives 200 Life Points each standby phase. Whenever a Zodiac-Class monster is destroyed, its opponent will lose one quarter of that monsters attack points.

Planetary Alignment: (Normal Magic)- Pay 1000 Life points to sacrifice a Zodiac-Class monster on your field to add their attack points to another Zodiac monster you control.

I don't know who created this set.

On to the fic!

Chapter 25: King of Darkness, Prince of Light

Kaiba Corp. New Paradigm Branch

Complete silence, unerring and undisturbed. Complete darkness engulfing the room as flash upon flash of information passed through his ice blue eyes and became recorded by the various components of his mind. Every duelist, every demon, and every mercenary became recorded perfectly in his mind as his well-trained fingers sailed across a freshly opened keyboard, as an occasional sweep of the palm brushed away offensive packaging materials. And although lost in the dark background, one could easily hear the buzz of the miniature computer terminals that had just been activated.

Kaiba had no idea why his deranged stepfather had placed a branch office of his multi-billion dollar company in such a desolate place as Paradigm City, nor did he have any idea why such a place had been taken with the rest of the populace into New Paradigm. All he knew was that the Kaiba Corp. New Paradigm Branch was easily his greatest asset in this tournament. But even as every detail of Hiei's bureaucracy sped into him, as every duelist became instantly memorized, three horrible words were spinning around, running on the power of his own id.

_I failed her._

Again and again like some demonic merry-go-round these words soared, in a single, monotonous voice that could drive any other man right off the Brooklyn Bridge in mere seconds. It was like watching a loop on the Internet, constantly repeating the same data to him until he went mad. But Kaiba could not be driven to insanity...and so he had to live with his constant guilt.

_She's going to die. That bastard Hiei will stop at nothing to get what he wants; why else would he torch a whole city for some bits of cursed crystal? And if he follows the route he has taken..._

Once resolute hands began to tremble as the full truth was realized, and, if but for a lengthy, tormented moment, what might be perceived as tears collected on the threshold of his eyes. It was always like this, for as long as he could remember. He would find something, or in some cases someone, that made his crumbling life actually worth living, and just as quickly they would be snatched away in one swift motion.

But, for some inexplicable reason, this loss smarted in a much sharper tone; what had once felt like a torch being smashed against his face now felt like he was being melted alive. It wasn't that hope hadn't ran from him before, but this time, it appeared that there was absolutely _nothing _left. It was similar to the feeling that had consumed him upon his brother's unforeseen sentence to purgatory at Duelist Kingdom so long ago, except amplified a hundred times.

_It is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all. _An old saying indeed, but not completely fallacious. Still, the pain of losing a loved one, particularly your first, is generally a feeling of great anguish and nearly infinite despair.

As the first layers of the super-encrypted New Paradigm HQ Databank were hacked, processed and downloaded, Seto Kaiba began to spread his deck in a structured manner, staring at each individual card with a keen and critical eye. At the top of this polygon was a set of three cards that were of the most significance to him, each of varying degrees of power and meaning, and ordered because of such. At the bottom of this arrangement was his prized Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor, followed by his precious first Blue Eyes White Dragon.

But at the very top of this setup was a relatively weak card, an effect monster known as Spirit Reaper. The monster seemed to be a hovering ghoul that ran screaming at whatever was unfortunate to get in it's way, and it's effect, while useful, was not as powerful as that of his other monsters. So why did he place it above his God Card and dragon?

It was the only card that Botan had ever given him.

It was a very rare time, if at any point, that Seto Kaiba admitted he was wrong, usually because his ego or accuracy stood in the way. But this was a very rare exception, for he was not only wrong in his original conception of the circumstances, he felt that he could proclaim it on every television set on Earth: he was, rather literally, in love with Death. But the question here was would he ever see her again? Kaiba knew enough that when anyone decided to gain physical reincarnation, he or she inherited the weaknesses of humans with the strengths. Even so, Kaiba had the utmost confidence in her; if she could have survived with Hiei for this long, it was highly unlikely that she would die now...

"Mr. Kaiba? There is somebody here to see you."

As the main intercom in his cramped office went off with no end of distortion, the adolescent CEO and CFO shuffled up his deck back into the Duel Gauntlet.

"Send them in at once."

Yet there was something else that bothered him, completely unrelated to the circumstance at hand. How could a lowlife monk from feudal Japan come within inches of defeating him? A more immediate problem was the fact that he seemed to know not only that Kaiba had an Egyptian God Card, but also knew exactly when it was in his hand. Once again the problems associated with this new information came into play to derail his train of thought, and almost seemed to blend themselves into one improbable yet seemingly reasonable solution. Hiei was indeed behind it all, but even if Kaiba could prove this, the very fact that the profligate demon was involved in the whole tournament, as his extensive research had led him to believe, then gave him an unsettling feeling that he had more power in this damnable city than could have ever been grasped.

Yet as the well-practiced fingers of the world's greatest technological mastermind skimmed with unequaled proficiency, a new, rather perturbing document assimilated itself before him.

_It can't be! Is this...New Paradigm City?_

But before he could even spare a partial glance at this massive blueprint a hard, mechanical rap came down upon his door.

_Well, the Inquisition has arrived._

Kaiba had dealt with powerful opponents over the time he had gained control of his stepfather's blood-soaked domain, from the mob boss of the Japanese Yakuza to diplomats in the former Soviet Union, to understand how to deal with such delicate circumstances as these. But at the same time, he also knew that the character before him could be practically anyone...including a fully armed assault unit waiting to demolish him on the slightest sign of trouble.

"Open up, Kaiba! I know you're in there!"

_A woman's voice? _Rather surprising indeed, but even more bizarre was the accent with which this woman spoke; she was obviously a mountainous character from the southern area. But only one group of people had ever had the audacity to live in such climates, and their civilization had been extinct for over 700 years...

"Enter. The door is unlocked."

_Well, it won't matter anyway. _As the doorknob began to shift, his hand wrapped around the Sennen Rod he kept close. _If she is after me, I'll be ready._

Out of the corner of his eye Kaiba continued to watch the various building plans, technological schematics, and street layouts played out before him. Construction sites were present on nearly every section, huge radio towers were linked up to the main HQ, and on occasion a new building was virtually penciled in. In fact, smaller, less meticulous layouts were present, indicating that the Western ideal of Manifest Destiny had come into Rosewater's bumbling hands. But there were a few areas, actually one in each quadrant, marked in bright green in large quantities. Their title made Kaiba's blood run chill: detonators.

It was at this very moment that the oaken door burst open, and standing in the threshold was one of the most outlandish-looking women he had ever seen.

Much like Kaiba she was dressed nearly all in black, in the form of dark leather armor engraved with a decorative pink motif. Upon her feet were lacquered straw sandals the likes of which Kaiba had not seen since his trip to the Feudal Japan exhibit two years beforehand, and sealed onto her left arm was a pale Duel Gauntlet. Her right arm had a slight bulge beneath the sleeve, seeming to imply this person was not as defenseless as she seemed. Yet the face was the most attractive to the eye; hers was a rather pale complexion, laced on the occasion with a spray of pink, and her eyes seemed to play a perfect match for the neatly propped black hair that chromosomes had created. In fact, she would have been quite desirable had the lower half of her face not been concealed with a gray leather mask.

"Good afternoon. My name is Sango Minamoto."

Seto observed her outstretched hand with a slight degree of cautiousness; if you didn't trust a Roman general in ancient times, you were extremely careful not to shake his hand. In this case, Kaiba was completely undecided as to whether or not this Sango character, insanely dressed as she was, had another agenda waiting to be sprung.

Well, he figured as he gave the offered palm a much-welcome jerk, she can't be as bad as Hiei.

"Please, be seated. I have a large number of things to do, and I would appreciate it if you made your business quick."

"Right to the point, aren't you, Mr. Kaiba? Well, I have to admire that in one of your status. At any rate, I may have some information you might be interested in."

"Ms. Minamoto, I think you have the wrong address if you're offering me data that would appease me. Do you have any idea how powerful my company is, or the resources that are at my disposal alone? Well, if not, then please give me one piece, _even one_, that I could actually use; if not, then this meeting has been a monumental waste of both our schedules."

"If you must be so blunt, Mr. Kaiba, I happen to have exclusive information on one Hiei Jagenshi. As far as I am concerned, you and I may have differing standpoints, but I am absolutely certain that we have found a mutual enemy in this demon."

Even as Kaiba typed a new command into his personal computer, his heart and hand skipped a note, jolting his breath and his program contemporaneously. If what Minamoto told him was an actual truth she could actually be of some use to him.

"Interesting. Well, if this is the case, then I would be more than happy to clear my schedule for you. So what exactly do you know about his organization; where does he chiefly operate from?" As this question was raised Kaiba did the exact same, staring out onto the city as Sango began to lay out her knowledge.

"Well, even after tracking his operations for the better part of five years, my...ahem...agents have been able to procure very little on him or his people. What we know for certain is that New Paradigm was not his first conquered territory. Over the past six months he has become something of a puppet master, operating through the candidates of many powerful nations."

"Through the Esperanto political party, correct?"

"Surprisingly enough, yes. Out of sheer curiosity, do you by any chance have an inside connection to the Spirit World?"

Once again, Kaiba's eyes trailed down to his dueling deck, the events of today returned to light.

"Depends on what you call an inside connection," spoke Kaiba in a broken voice. "However, I have been monitoring the so-called "party of unity" with something of a close eye; from the very start of the only international conglomeration for political gain, it seemed that something was amiss. It doesn't really surprise me that Hiei had his bloody hands involved here."

"Well, even before the Esperanto party got involved I'd been hunting the bastard demon and his half sister. And I found something that seemed very unusual about Hiei; he was nearly arrested for high treason against the Crown of Demons. And guess who he betrayed to escape?"

"I'm certain I do not know."

"The demon lord Naraku."

_Naraku? If what this lunatic is saying actually is true, than this tournament will have more at stake then I could have ever imagined._

"I think I'm beginning to understand your point, Sango. If Naraku, one of the most powerful demons in Japanese myth, is actually _in_ this event, then all we have to do is follow him directly to Hiei. And as it happens, I think I'll be able to trace him right to the source."

Yet even as Kaiba turned back towards his client, his eye fell onto a small hand mirror.

_Damn, the full length is askew again._

Yet the angled mirror gave him a strange perspective, and at the back of his head was a targeting laser.

_Oh shit._

Iron Smelting Factory, Industrial New Paradigm

Fires seemed to belch from thousands of chasms every second, their all-devouring tongues instantly melting away the living flesh of whoever was unfortunate enough to stand next to the jets of flame. Hot, molten steel and iron flowed down artificial rivers into the massive cooling chambers, in which was contained an array of casting molds; some would produce solid pieces to be used on their own, while others held the responsibility of producing the various interchangeable parts used in the rest of the industrial world. And constantly near these massive vessels were teams of technicians ready to activate or deactivate the whole system so that the other workers were safe. However, the occasional crack would appear in the system, and whosoever stood between these fissures and the lower pressure that drew out their contents would be killed instantaneously...if they were lucky.

But high up in the rafter office of this capacious "sweat shop" was the most influential member of this operation...and he didn't even work there.

Hiei Jagenshi remained seated in his swivel chair, observing the masses despite the roar of machinery and the screams of protesters as they were engulfed in fire. Unlike the hellish conditions that seemed universal in all of New Paradigm's industries, his office was completely thermostatically controlled using the most powerful air conditioner his earthly funds could gain. Even so, a small wavelength of the harsh temperatures could be detected by placing one's hand onto the glass that divided it from the work, and it was with this information in mind that he held the expensive bottle of dark liqueur as close to it as possible.

"So, what is the status of our prisoner, Sesshomaru?"

Deep in the shadows of his office stood the cold dog demon that Hiei had employed. Upon this command he extracted a thin paper scroll from the printer nearest him.

"Not too much from the main field; I can only assume that her recapture was recent enough for a low level of communication traffic. However, what we do know is that she is en route to one of our holding chambers on the edge of town. Once we have dealt with Yami and the others, you can finish her off."

Tearing open a few new card packs, Hiei looked at Sesshomaru with an expression of surprise, as well as a small level of rage. "Do not insult my intelligence, Sesshomaru. I know all of the variables in this situation, and I am also very well aware of Seto Kaiba's role in this. I will deal with that ningen bastard when the time is right. In the meantime, there is something else that bothers me, something of much more importance. Several of my operatives have noticed a duel in New Paradigm Hotel between Yami and some unknown murderer. Although none of this information can be totally confirmed, I have a sneaking suspicion that this demon is in fact a reincarnation of that idiotic Naraku I sent into purgatory five years back. So if this is the case, then I now have two priorities to deal with; destroying the Pharaoh and gaining his Sennen Puzzle, and making sure Naraku doesn't stand in my way again. Bearing this in mind, I need you to send one of your generals to defeat the Pharaoh before Naraku can reach him first."

"Shall I send Kachikachi, milord?"

"An exemplary idea; his is the perfect dueling deck to destroy that monarchial disgrace once and for all. And as for the bitch, I will personally see to it that she is dealt with properly. After all, she and I have some unsettled business to attend to."

"Very well, I will alert him. But I do have one favor to ask."

"What, pray tell, is that?"

"I ask only to be he that captures Inuyasha."

"Agreed. Now, if you will excuse me..."

As Sesshomaru strode off into the city, Hiei began to trace his gnarled fingers about his face, or rather, one portion of it: the long scar that he had born for some time now...

Flashback, 5 months earlier

To say that the insanity that had become Spirit World was catastrophic would be similar to complimenting it, now that Hiei had taken over.

In a matter of days, the bastard demon had devastated several thousand of Koenma's ancient and bumbling army, reworked the entire bureaucracy that had operated it for over five thousand years, and accomplished the nearly impossible by subjecting a massive portion of Demon World to his very knees. This was likely because they had both feared and respected the impromptu ruler for many a year, and eventually they became his own personal army.

However, this is not to say that all was content within the great machine; a small unit of deputies that remained loyal to the old regime, known as the Archaic Unit, would often lead gargantuan rallies to rouse up the rabble. On the very rare occasion that this worked, riots would take over business as usual as Hiei's military quashed all rebellious outbreaks; after all, in order for a government to operate efficiently, he said, all opposition must be defeated first.

What Hiei did not expect was for the greatest threat to come from one of his own. And it was for this reason that he now sat in his Spartan office, a look of cold malice plastered unto his face.

As he listened to the screams of the loyalists as they were dragged to the various labor camps he had devised, the cast iron door leading into his inner sanctum creaked open, and his new enemy sat down, barely able to stand as the crowds had weakened her.

"What's wrong, my dear? Hard day at the brothel?"

Had the circumstances been altered to any other situation, Botan would likely have thrown one of her rather aggravating temper tantrums upon this comment. But, as Hiei took note, of, she remained silent.

_Interesting. It seems that the immature ex-reaper has become strangely morose, and I'm beginning to understand why. But my pity is not wasted on people of HER kind._

Hiei walked around the desk towards his own armchair behind it, his eyes constantly focused on this unforeseen enemy, while at the same time tightening his grip around the mahogany hilt of his most powerful edged weapon, before sitting down and shuffling through his deck of cards. Satisfied he placed his prized dueling deck into the strongbox nearest him; it would be coming in very handy soon enough. In fact, had he not been so busy and in such a poor disposition, the odds are he would have challenged Botan to a match, simply to humiliate her.

"But in all seriousness, I am afraid I have business to run elsewhere, so if you have something to discuss with me, I am going to have to ask you to be quick about it. For, after all, I am now the all-powerful king of the go-between point in this universe."

Again she remained silent, although now the occasional tear went along the contour of her cheek.

"DAMN IT, YOU WHORE! ANSWER ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!"

Hiei had never lost his temperament like this before that very point, so the minimum wage lackey he had kept on for cost efficiency looked up at her new master. Her eyes were almost completely blank, and they were completely bloodshot as well. Around these organs hung dark bags, as though she had not slept in days.

"I'm sorry, Hiei. It's just that I've been having some trouble for the past few days..."

"Well, if that is the case, then shut the hell up and deal with it on your own time! I have an empire to run, and in case you didn't figure this out, I don't have the time or strength to deal with lowlifes like you! Now, if you would be so kind as to exit my presence, I think it's time to discuss your...retirement."

Completely hidden from view, Hiei had already started laughing in the depths of his mind at her "punishment game" that he had personally devised.

"Now, under normal circumstances, an agent of your, shall we say, "track record", is usually dealt with by a harsh penalty. However, I am more than willing to overlook your rather shady record and give you what I like to refer to as an honorable layoff. But in order for me to do this, I am afraid I will have to ask for a small test of your devotion to the job..."

For only an instant Hiei could see a flash of anger in her eyes, but that quickly subsided.

"What kind of job?", she asked in a dull monotone.

Hiei gave her a furtive grin before extracting a gold-plated folder from his nearest archive; it was very rare that he used such folders, for they were reserved for either hated enemies or close friends. Having removed the seal keeping it in place, the demon slapped his latest project before her.

"Regularly I would have had the other reapers deal with a job like this, but I figured you'd get a kick out of this assignment. Besides, this person seems just up your alley."

"Ok. What exactly do I have to do?"

Another sadistic grin called upon the meeting before it was quickly shut out. "I've got the soul of this one locked away in my other office, seeing as I dealt with the matter personally. What I want you to do is deliver this character to Purgatory; they'll figure out what to do with her. And I think you'll get a laugh or two out of it."

It was like the ningen Christmas for Hiei as he watched the folder fall open, the various papers sliding out, as well as photographs, statistics, and the family relations. But what tickled his perverse fancy was that at the bottom of the paper was what had been responsible for her death...or rather, who.

"Surprising, isn't it? Even I have to admit that it was rather tiresome."

It took a second or two for the name of this victim to register in Botan's mind, simply because she had known this one for so long; four years, to be exact. But what was even more unnerving was the cause of death.

Name, Keiko Yukimura. Cause of Death, decapitation.

Murderer, Hiei Jagenshi.

"Of course, it did take a while, even for me, to get the data I wanted on the bitch. After all, she was involved in so many damn activities that she was hardly ever home. But then again, taking the city itself made the search so much easier. Oh, you should have seen it; blood splattered every which way, the wall cracked where I had tossed the cadaver, and the head so crudely dismembered from the flesh. It truly was an art form, and the best part is, she didn't even think I killed her! She's probably just standing there, waiting for her so-called friends to save her pathetic hide! And I cannot wait until the others see what I did to their damnable maiden! Ah, what a look upon their cow-like faces as I laugh uncontrollably!"

But even as he had ranted vociferously to whoever would listen, his now incensed enemy stood up out of her chair, cold murder shrieking within the once emotionless eyes.

"Why, you ask? Aha, what a moronic question! I wanted to break Urameshi clean and simply so he wouldn't stand against me when I go after my true targets!"

"HIEI, YOU BASTARD! HOW IN THE NAME OF GOD COULD YOU DO THIS?!"

"Because I can, you filthy slut. What are you going to do now, slap me with those paltry bags of bone you call hands, like in some goddamn soap opera? Ha! Do your worst!"

And so she did. And since Hiei had not bothered to scan her mind, he did not expect a blazing sea of unbridled pain clawing at his face from a flash of fluorescent blue steel.

For only a moment the world had become a still picture, as the greatest assault mounted on a tyrant took place. The splash of demon blood spraying unchecked upon the jet black walls, the shockwave from the mere speed of the attack cracking the windows, even the monster's shocked stagger, they all had slowed down to minutes at a time. But, as is the lot of man, the world returned to it's general state of affairs soon enough.

And contained in Botan's hands was a long, glowing katana, extracted from what seemed like thin air.

"Ah, so you have been holding onto a concealed weapon this whole time, and last I checked, such acts are punishable by death. But I have, however, one question for you: _how dare you strike me, you bitch?!_"

It was the final act, the very last catalyst that would commence the greatest rebellion ever spawned, and even as the Demon Lord stared with matchless hatred at the final link to the old ways, blood oozing into his eye as he did so, even he realized that this was an entirely new enemy...that could be broken in the exact same way. It was due to his knowledge of such, therefore, that he sent Botan hurling not into, but _right through _the reinforced concrete wall with a single punch, and a rather reserved one by his standards.

Within an instant the ordinarily structured office of the Spirit Monarchy was now in a state of complete chaos. Important documents were scattered about everywhere, chunks of load-bearing wall had punctured several computer modems, and twenty desks were overturned completely by the vacuum of the projectile launched.

"GET BACK TO WORK AT ONCE, UNLESS ANYONE FANCIES A TRIP TO THE SPIT!" Even amidst the chaotic bedlam of the office the operatives could hear the roar of their psychotic ruler, and rushed back to their positions even as he lifted the Grim Reaper herself bodily into the air.

"I could simply kill you right now, tear out every vital organ in your body and make a martini set from the bones. After all, you did attack the king of Spirit World, which is, as I recall, worthy of capital punishment. But I won't, at least not now; the way I see it, death is too good for you. I will instead make you regret this moment every day for all of eternity, as I slowly torment and torture you in my own prolific ways, and better yet, I will make you watch as all you have known and loved is stripped from you. You will observe as I commit atrocities that none before me can equal. I will force you to note my actions, great or terrible, that will grip you even in your waking hours, and eventually, I myself will send you into the depths of Hell, but by that time you will hardly have a soul to be damned.

"GUARDS!!!", he shouted to the nearest security unit, "Take this one to the prison, and hold her there until I command otherwise. I have some old skills to practice, and a new plan to devise..."

End Flashback

Yami vs. Kagura

As Yami stared at his all-powerful Egyptian God Card that now stood on the threshold of entering this game, his plans took a decidedly new turn. When he had once counted on defense was over last turn, and now it became very clear to him that if this duel was to be finished quickly, Slifer the Sky Dragon had to bring itself onto the playing field. But his wall of Kuribos prevented him from summoning any other monsters because they took up the entire playing field. In fact, he had the perfect monster to hold off any monster she summoned already in hand, but in order for this idea to work, he needed to clear the field of his furry wall...and he had the perfect card to do it.

"Alright, Kagura, I never thought I'd have to play this card, but it seems that it is my best option, so here it goes! I activate the Magic card, Thunder Crash!" Without any warning at all, a slew of lightning bolts screeched down from the sky, puncturing the barricade of Kuribos before tearing them apart. At the same time, several volts of the same lightning streaked along the ground, and right into Kagura's life points. (2000/2500)

"You seem rather surprised by my new strategy, and even now I can hear you asking why would I destroy my own monsters. Well, Thunder Crash allows me to wipe out all monsters on my side of the field, and at the same time deal you 300 points of direct damage for each one destroyed. Since the Kuribo wall takes up all of my field, they count as 5 monsters, dealing you 1500 life points loss."

Still completely aghast by this deluded move, Kagura began to look over her available cards, and seemed not to understand why he would do this to _himself._ Even if the wall was taking up much-needed field space, it still gave him the perfect defense, so why ruin that?

_Perhaps his next card is only capable of being used effectively when he has no monsters on his field; it's the only possible explanation. Either that, or something has become jammed in his mind..._

"My turn's not quite complete. I will place one cardface down, and summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" Where once was an unassailable fortress now stood a solitary mud wall, for despite the fact that the burly warrior concealed by the 8 foot radius, butterfly-decorated shield was a powerful defense, it was still not strong enough to make up for the move Yami had played earlier. (100/2600) "That will end my turn."

_Has he gone completely insane?! There is no possible move on Earth that is worthy of such a bone-headed play! Maybe this one has been spending too much time with that Kagome girl; it can be like a mental vacuum!_

Perfect; she was not only befuddled by my move, she has absolutely no idea what's coming next. But if she does have a powerful monster waiting, I'll be ready for it...

"Well, Yami, this idiotic strategy of yours may be unclear to me now, but let me assure you it will not work! I will begin my move by playing the Magic card, Rising Air Current, which will increase the attack of all Wind-archetype monsters on the field by 500 points. Next, I will summon Slate Warrior to the field in Attack Mode!" From the monster card space emerged the same azure demon Yami had faced in his first duel with Hiei, and at the same time it absorbed the rapidly growing wind current to increase it's strength. (2400/100) "Finally, I will switch my Byakko on the field into attack mode, and since he is a Wind monster, his attack is increased to an unstoppable 2700! Byakko, demolish his Big Shield Gardna with another Razor Claw Strike!"

Now charging full speed at the towering shield wall, the mighty tiger was about to tear it into shreds when something else happened: the tiger was instantly engulfed in an explosion of fire that burned away the flesh until it was nothing but a ragged corpse.

"WHAT!?"

"You forgot about the face down card I played last turn, Kagura." As he said this, Yami slipped the now discarded trap into his graveyard. "When you attacked my warrior you also attacked a land mine, which slew your unassailable beast instantly. Not even a Saint Beast could have stood against Widespread Ruin, and since your Slate Warrior has only 2400 attack points, it would be absolutely useless to attack now. So I would end your turn, as there is little you can now do now."

"Very well then, I choose to cease."

As Yami drew his next card, something seemed to trigger within him, a strange curiosity. "Before I begin this turn, allow me to ask you something. Why exactly did you come here to challenge me to a duel if you're not working for Hiei? I know you can't be a regular duelist; no one would actually go to this trouble to face me. So tell me, who exactly are you working for?"

"A rather interesting question, Yami, and not one that can be too easily answered. My employer, ironically enough, is my own brother."

"What? Your _brother_ put you up to this?"

"Do not act so surprised, Pharaoh. After all, he has a few scores to settle with some friends of yours. In fact, I even think he has a grudge against Hiei himself. But it doesn't matter because before the end of this tournament it shall be he that rules over the land of spirits and humans as god!"

"Fine, then so who is your brother?"

"You will find out in due time, Atem. Until then, I suggest you make a move now, for soon this duel will end in my victory!"

"Alright. I will play the Magic card, Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw until we have six cards in our hand." Yami drew 5 cards, while Kagura drew three. "Next, I will place a monster on the field in face down defense position, followed by the activation of a second Magic card, Book of Taiyou. This powerful enchantment allows me to flip one face down monster on the field face up, and the monster I have chosen is Vindictive Old Magician!" From beneath the brown-backed card emerged a haggard old mage, seeming almost to foam at the mouth as she held a staff glowing in a black light. (450/600) "The effect text of my Vindictive Old Magician allows me to destroy any monster on the field, regardless of position. So I choose to remove the Slate Warrior!" Now completely deranged, the sage tossed the stave she held like a throwing knife, causing it to tear apart the fiend's armor and the ribcage therein, until it burned itself into the ground. "Now, Vindictive Old Magician, mount a direct attack on her life points!" Upon hearing this command the spell caster tossed a piece of burning rock at the demon, reducing her life points negligibly. (2000/2050) "Finally, I will place two cards face down, and end my turn." _Well, I'm now only behind by a minimal amount, but that still isn't too comforting of a thought. This "Kagura" is probably not all she appears to be, and this brother of hers seems to have a strange aura about him, despite the fact I have never even met him. It is almost that I can figure out his very identity, but I'm not sure why. And more importantly, how does this bitch know Kagome, and why does she insist on insulting her?_

"Not too bad at all, Yami, but keep in mind that your Vindictive Old Magician is still in attack mode, meaning that with one attack I will take a hefty chunk out of your life points. So if this is another so-called plan, I cannot wait to see it in action. So I will start my turn by summoning the monster known as Hayabusa Knight to the field in attack mode!" From the second monster space emerged a rather short warrior, suited in old English armor and a green cloak that would have looked freakish enough without the fact that the creature had a falcon's head. (1000/700) "Next, I will activate the Magic card, Axe of Despair, which will raise my Knight's strength to 2000 points. Now, Hayabusa Knight, destroy his pathetic mage with Double Axe Slam attack!" The falcon soldier leapt forth and brought both of the sacrilegious axe heads into the necromancer, tearing out every vital organ as it did so. (450/2050) "Well, it seems like your plan failed, Pharaoh. The only thing standing between me and your life points is that Big Shield Gardna, and once I puncture that defense you will be at my complete mercy. Tell me, did you really think that by removing your own trademark defense maneuver you could prevent me from demolishing your life points? Well, if that be the case then you are nearly as moronic as that pig you refer to as the love of your life..."

However, what neither Kagura or Yami expected was for the hotel door behind them to be open.

"Kagura. It's been a while." Certainly enough, Kagome was standing on the outskirts of the dueling ring, with a strange mixture of emotions on her face: sheer anger and unequaled ecstasy.

With eyes that literally screamed hatred, the wind conjuror looked upon her old enemy. "Not long enough, in my opinion. If you would excuse me, I have a duel to win."

Even as he was about to set the machinations of victory into motion, Yami's hand began to shake even more than usual in tough spots like this. "So, how much did you hear?"

"Every word. Turns out I was listening from behind the door for most of the match, so I heard everything you said. And all I can say in kind is..." And without warning she collapsed into the king's arms, sobbing with happiness. "Thank you", she whispered in his ear.

"If anything, I have you to thank, Kagome. For all of this duel you gave me the strength I needed to match this idiot move for move. But I am afraid I'll need you to explain what's going on..."

"It's too long a tale for right now. In the meantime, finish the job. For both of us."

At the other side of the arena, Kagura was getting annoyed. "Come _on_, could we please move this little moment along?! I've got a true victory to claim, and all of this garbage you're tossing at me is not helping at all! And believe me, Yami, when all is said and done, you will all pay for what you did to Naraku!"

_So, the plot continues to thicken. Now that I know the enemy's name, it will probably be easier for me to destroy him. But in the meantime, I'll just have to deal with the situation at hand, and I know exactly how to do it._

"I activate the Trap Card, Soul Crosswire, and I will chain it to the Quick-Play Magic Card, Poison of the Old Man!" Before Yami appeared two vials, containing a red and green potion. "This Magic card allows me to either give you 800 life points direct damage, or allows me to gain 1200 life points, so in this case, I will gain the 1200 points." Yami reached for the green chemical and swilled it, boosting his own strength as he did so." (1650/2050) "And remember, my Soul Crosswire was _resolved after _the Magic card, allowing me to use it's effect of summoning a level 4 star monster from my graveyard and deck at the cost of 1000 life points. So from my deck I will summon Mystical Elf in defense mode, and the Des Volstgulph whose level I reduced a few turns ago in attack mode!" From the remnants of the Vindictive Old Magician emerged two purple lines which leapt into the deck and graveyard, and upon these lines were two monsters, the earthy dragon sent to the graveyard, and a green-robed, ethereal faerie with flowing blonde hair and bizarre sapphire flesh. Upon coming onto the field the mystic began to chant in a mysterious language unlike any heard before in this plane, commencing in a golden aura about her. (800/2000) At the same time, the cords of energy latched into Yami's life points to maintain their strength. (650/2050)

"YES! This duel is over! Come on, Yami, finish the job!"

The wind enchantress, however, was not as impressed, likely because she had no idea what was going on.

"Impressive as this arsenal is, Atem, I am afraid that it will not save you from destruction! I choose to enter my Main Phase 2, and in this I will equip my creature with the last two card I have, my Black Pendant and Fairy Meteor Crush!" Around the Hayabusa Knight emerged a shimmering blue afterglow, while a small, black charm appeared around it's neck. (2500/700) "On my next turn, my Knight will be able to destroy your dragon and elf, thanks to it's special ability of being able to attack twice in one turn, and due to the Meteor Crush I equipped to it, you will lose life points even if your elf is in defense mode! So go ahead and make your final move, Pharaoh! There is nothing you can do to stop me!"

As he placed his well-trained fingers onto the top card of his deck, he began to reflect on the situation at hand. _Alright, in order for me to win this duel in one move, I'll need at least six cards in my hand, and so far I only have two. My face down card will help, but I'll need at least one more card for this to work. If not, her Black Pendant will bring me down to 150 life points if I destroy it, and knowing her, she'll have some kind of plan ready to take the rest. Come on, I need to draw this last card..._

Perhaps her spirit had become manifested within him, or perhaps it was a hallucination in his thoughts, but even as he stood ready to draw the final card he could see Kagome, placing her own soft hand on his own, ready to tap into the Heart of the Cards with him. Symbolic, yes, and certainly effective. And it was with this boost of confidence that Yami drew his needed card.

"I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards from my deck. Next, I will activate the face down trap I played, Reckless Greed, which will allow me to draw two more cards at the price of my next two draw phases. And now, I have all the cards I needed in order for this to work. Kagome, you might want to stand back." And she complied.

"Kagura, I am afraid that this duel is finished, and so are you. _Now, prepare to experience a power like none that you have ever seen before, as I offer up my Des Volstgulph, Mystical Elf, and Big Shield Gardna, in order to summon my Egyptian God Card, Slifer the Sky Dragon!"_

As his most powerful beast was played onto the Duel Gauntlet, the very card glowing with the mystical energies of the gods themselves, the shield carrier, mountain dragon, and white enchantress walked forward into the gleaming incandescence, and were soon absorbed by it. The very hotel had begun to glow with an ominous aura, as bolts of holy light crashed onto the field and laid bare the purity of the universe. The souls of man and beast fused in an ever-chaotic whirl, whilst the winds from all of the world spun madly off kilter, dragging the fertile earth from the banks of the Nile into it's screaming vortex. And from this card emerged a shaft of fiery energy, which in it's turn seared away the confines of reality and tore open the wide world before them. The skies were endless and beautiful, if but for a moment.

And then, the peace broke asunder.

Black clouds had begun to gather overhead, pulsing with the omnipotent power of the gods. Far off in the distance the cry of thunder resounded, and lightning streaked across the heavens as though to deliver a message to Olympus. The winds of one of the most powerful storms began to beat against both duelists, but they were about to find out that these winds were _not_ from a mortal storm.

They were the winds of wings beating. And the sound's provider was emerging from the largest of the thunderheads.

The monster could easily have stretched out to be three miles in total length, with mighty claws reared out before it. The mighty pinions of the dragon came out to darken the playing field, while at the same time it's two golden eyes scanned the arena, wise yet brutal in combat. From both of it's double maws there was a constant rumbling, like the onset of contained thunder, ready and willing to strike out at any moment. It's great coils throbbed and undulated with every spasm of it's sinewy muscles, while it's long claws dug deep into the earth as it let fly it's mighty roar, as though to challenge all that stood against it. (5000/5000)

"Impossible! How could such a creature exist?!"

"You said you wanted to take my Egyptian God Card from me at the beginning of this duel, and now you are about to witness it's full strength. You see, the God Card I possess gains 1000 attack points for every card I hold in my hand, giving it an attack strength of 5000. _Now, my dragon, end this duel by destroying her Hayabusa Knight with Thunder Force Attack!_"

Upon heeding the final command, Osiris unsealed the first of it's two mouths, and within this collected an orb of thunderous energy that could be felt even from the sidelines. As this ultimate weapon of damnation grew ever wider, the skies and the earth grew brighter with the immense luminosity that had become Slifer, for the dragon itself was glowing with the same strength as Ra itself. As for it's accursed target, the Knight was so fixated on the approaching doom that it could not even try to avoid the assault. And for a moment, and only to the well-trained eye, the green visage and grand ceremonial robes of Osiris himself could be witnessed, staring down at it's incarnate and the victim it was about to take. But this view was fleeting at best, and within a moment, all was engulfed in a flash of brilliant white, in which stood the two duelists. (450/0)

It was with utter shock that Kagome bore witness to this amazing victory, and the mighty warrior that had brought it forth.

"_Kagura! You can tell your master that when all is said and done, it shall be I, King Atem, that will emerge from this tournament as victor! I may not know all that he has done, but let me assure you, he will not survive long enough to see his plans come into fruition! Now, go back to the pit that spawned you! OBLITERATE!"_

And with one summoning of his great powers, the demon incarnation was destroyed, accursed to an eternity of darkness.

The field dissipated, rolling plains now replaced by poorly built hardwood floors scorched by the volley of assaults played on both sides. Where the demon had once been was instead a cracked Duel Gauntlet, Yami's fourth tournament key, and her rarest card, Byakko. Staggering forward, the exhausted spirit took his two prizes, and collapsed onto the floor.

"Yami, are you alright?"

Under much different circumstances, and much less worry, Yami would likely have been as happy as a young child on his birthday knowing that he was cradled in Kagome's lap while she ran her fingers across his face. But, alas, a new problem had come to light, as well as a new enemy. In this light, he reluctantly removed himself from his position and sat back to the wall.

"I'm fine. But I have to ask you to come straight forward with me. If this Naraku has selected me as his next target, I need to know about what I'm up against."

His new girlfriend sighed within herself. This was going to get complicated...

Yusuke vs. Weevil

_Just brilliant. Not only has Weevil paralyzed my only monster that I have face-up on the field, but he also has his Cocoon of Evolution ready to hatch four turns from now. However, if I can hold his creatures off for long enough, I think I'll be able to take him down using an all-powerful combo of my own..._

Even so, Yusuke had to admit that Weevil had placed him in a rather poor position, for not only was his Kotodama serving as a host body for some insect hive, Weevil's most powerful monster was still there to keep him in check.

"Well, Urameshi, it's still my turn, so I will place the finishing touches on my plan by placing two cards face down, and activating the Magic card, Array of Revealing Light!" What once had been a standard playing field had now become a single pentagram of an elaborate design. "This Field Magic allows me to name one sub-type of creature. As long as this card is face-up on the field, the selected sub-type cannot attack on the turn it is summoned! As for the sub-type I had in mind, I will select Insects!"

On the sidelines, however, Joey was not impressed.

"_Brilliant _move, ya little worm! Except for one small detail..._how da hell do you know when Yusuke's gonna use a damn Insect card?!_"

"Pay that no heed, Wheeler. I have already settled that with my face down cards."

Back in the ring, however, Yusuke had just drawn his starting card...and it was just the one he needed.

"Okay, Weevil, I may not be able to destroy your plan for my Kotodama, but what I can do is remove that damn Cocoon from the field once and for all. I summon Kamikaze in attack mode!" From within the summoned card emerged a seven-foot tall shogun, clad in flamboyant armor of the purest silver with a sweeping black silk cloak. In both of his hands he wielded golden short swords that crackled with electricity. (2100/1050) "Kamikaze, attack his Cocoon of Evolution with Double Suicide Slash!"

"Not so fast, detective! Reveal face-down card, DNA Surgery!" The Trap card burst open with the same technological strands that morphed Yami's monsters into mages. "As you no doubt have determined, DNA Surgery can alter all face-up monsters on the field into any sub-type I choose, so I select Insects once again!" Yusuke's Kamikaze was now grossly disfigured, as it's silver armor became a golden exoskeleton, and the old flesh was stripped away in favor of a chattering, mantis-like creature. "And recall my Array of Revealing Light, Yusuke. Since I selected Insects for that as well, your monsters cannot attack on the turn they are summoned. Remember, Urameshi, all of your most powerful monsters are Spirits of some kind, which means..."

"I see your plan, Weevil. Since my Spirit monsters only remain on the field until the end of my turn, the Array of Revealing Light stops them from attacking on the summoning move. And because they have to be re-summoned with each commencing turn, they can't attack at all. But your plan to disable me has one major weakness: the effect of your Array has no effect on monsters that were flip summoned, meaning that all I have to do is keep a Spirit face down for one of your turns, and I will be able to attack with it on the next move." But upon listening to this, Weevil began to snicker in that grating way of his.

"Really, is that so? Well, I knew about that factor when I started using this ploy, and I have the perfect card to negate it. Activate my second face-down card, Light of Intervention! This Trap card prevents all players from placing monsters in face down position, so your Spirits are now completely useless! And last I checked, they were the very core of your deck!"

"Well, I will place one card face down, and end my turn."

With the draw of his next card, Weevil nearly jumped for joy.

"I activate the Magic card, Painful Choice! This powerful hex allows me to select five cards from my deck, and present them to you. Out of these five cards, you must select one that will be added to my hand, while the rest go directly to my graveyard!"

All five of Weevil's chosen cards appeared before both duelists: Insect Soldiers of the Sky, Cockroach Knight, Carrier, Premature Burial, and an unusual looking creature called Insect Princess. Of all of these creatures, it was the last that gave him the most worry, so he decided to give the grubby monstrosity the Insect Soldiers.

As he discarded the unselected cards, however, Weevil began to snicker vociferously. "You are an even greater imbecile than I thought, Urameshi. You could easily have given my Insect Princess to me and not had to deal with it, but now you shall pay the price. I activate the Magic Card, Monster Reborn, to resurrect my Insect Princess!" A new, bizarre looking insect appeared on the field: what seemed to be a humanoid-looking moth, with a face that slightly resembled a human woman's. (1900/1400) "My creature may not be powerful right now, but let me assure you it will continue to grow in strength. That is because it shall force all of your face up Insect-type monsters into Attack mode, and thanks to the Light of Intervention and DNA Surgery combination I played earlier, you cannot play _anything_ in defense mode! And I probably should mention that my rarest card gains a 500 point power boost for every Insect monster it destroys!" Another annoying cackle made itself known as the creature exuded a powerful pheromone across the playing field, thereby forcing Yusuke's Kotodama into an attack position. "I could attack your fairy right now, Urameshi, but since it will soon become another vital piece of my plan, I will spare it and end my turn. And remember, with this turn you now only have three in which to stop my ultimate monster!"

Another card drawn on Yusuke's part, and while it could not directly help him, it would come in handy soon enough. "I'm sorry to say that this duel is far from over, Weevil. You see, I myself have a trick or two of my own, and once this plan works, your Insect Princess will be nothing but a pile of ashes, so I shall activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards from my deck, and they are just the ones I needed to win this duel. First off, I will summon Raicho in attack mode." The creature that now stood before them was a powerfully built warrior in Bronze Age Chinese armor, the only unusual characteristic being that it had a hound's head. (1900/1400) But before the creature morphed into it's insect form it created an orb of lightning that laced into Yusuke's hand. "The special effect of Raicho states that I can perform another Normal Summon if I summon this creature. For that move, I will summon the second monster I need, Raiju!" This thunder incarnate was a mounted warrior that looked exactly like Attila the Hun, except for the fact that it had three pairs of demon wings behind it. (2400/400) "Powerful as my latest creature is, it requires a tribute of 700 life points to summon it, but such a cost is minimal compared to what I shall accomplish for it. (3300/3200) "For my next move, I will activate the Magic card, Spiritual Settlement Machine! As long as said card remains face up on my side of the field, all of my Spirit monsters can remain on the field after summoning."

"GAH! That means my entire plan is rubbish!"

"Exactly. But I'm afraid it only gets worse from here. In order for me to activate my Machine, I need to discard one card from my hand, and it was just the card I needed to get rid of. In that way, I could resurrect it using the Magic card, Groundbreaking, so say hello to the last of the Thunder Lords, Raijin!" The third and final Spirit was armored in a heavy suit of stone Japanese armor, with a gigantic glass orb set into the center. The creature itself was a cross between a man and a reptile. (2300/700) "And now that I have all 3 of the Thunder Lords on the field, I can sacrifice their energies to call upon the monster known as Raiden, the Thunder God!" As this final command was issued, all three of the spirits leapt into the sky, and were instantly absorbed in a gigantic bolt of lightning, as their various armors swirled and writhed until a second strip crashed unto the world. And from the crater emerged a new beast. Completely encased in Japanese ceremonial robes of the purest white, the human-like creature had a youthful face, like an ageless warrior. In one hand it held the sacred scriptures of it's people, while the other gripped onto a golden staff that sporadically sent out a jolt of electricity. (3300/2500) "However, my creature cannot attack until my next move, so I will end my turn." Upon this declaration, Raiden developed moth wings and multifaceted eyes due to the DNA Surgery.

"Very well, Urameshi, it's my move!" As Weevil drew his final card, his eyes nearly burst free of their sockets. "HA! It's time to place the final component in my plan, Urameshi, for I activate the Magic card, Insect Barrier! As Wheeler certainly can tell you, this powerful web prevents all Insect-type monsters on your side of the field from attacking me, and also keep in mind that my DNA Surgery is still in place, making all monsters you control insects! So even if your monsters are on the field after summoning, they will not be able to attack. Safe in this thought, I end my turn." But as Weevil passed the count onto Yusuke, the Kotodama he had played three turns ago began to grasp it's head in pain while infinite swellings and spasms wracked it's figure. Blood poured out of it's eyes and mouth as it expanded and stretched, until the very skin began to crack.

"Oh, I nearly forgot, Urameshi, it has been three turns since my Parasite Caterpillar infected your monster, and now the time has come! Emerge, my Poison Moth!"

To Be Continued

Ok, due to the great length of this chapter, I have moved some components to next chapter.

Speaking of which, chapter 27 will finally see Roger and Inuyasha duel, Kachikachi and another enemy are introduced, Naraku is explained to Yami, and Kaiba deals with his new problems.

Remember to READ AND REVIEW! I'll update as soon as possible!


	27. Warriors in the Shadows

Disclaimer: I own nothing here!

Well, if you were watching last time, you'll know that Kaiba and Sango have now made an uneasy alliance. At the same time, Yusuke continued his match, while Yami finally won. .

This chapter will begin the duels of Inuyasha and Roger, while Kaiba and Sango deal with an unknown enemy. Yami, meanwhile, figures out Naraku's plans, and Kachikachi is introduced.

Well, let's tear it up!

Chap. 26: Warriors in the Shadows

Apartment Complex, Slums of New Paradigm

745, Rousseau Street. The exact wording on the business card given to him.

Sesshomaru could not believe the sight before his eyes. Compared to the relative luxury he had lived in for the better part of ten years, the so-called "home of the future" was little more than a sleazy dump. All about him rats were crawling around, hunting for some scrap of nonexistent food. Far off in the distance he could hear the screams of children as they were dragged off by the various civil servants that would later draft the same youths into the military or navy. The odor of cheap perfume and poorly made alcohol permeated the air and seeped into the mind, while the quivering vagrants begged for alms of any kind. In fact, one such hobo actually came up to the demon himself and clenched onto his expensive robes like a vice, practically shrieking at him for money, upon which Sesshomaru tossed him into the nearest brick wall.

That any normal human could even think of dwelling in such a place was abhorrent to him, but in order to get his latest assignment done he would need the assistance of one particular man that lived in this hovel. This man had been hired by Hiei as one of his generals, but it had not been the first time that the two had crossed paths.

Knowing full well the dangers involved in this transaction, the demon rapped on the rusted iron door, thrice hard, and once lightly, as their code had dictated. For a few moments there was no response, and Sesshomaru took this opportunity to clasp onto the wooden hilt of his second blade, a sword that very few in this realm knew existed, and even went so far as to loosen it from the sheath. But before the chance to draw it out completely presented itself, the threshold creaked slightly ajar, and from this gap appeared two beady eyes.

"What? What is it? Who is there?"

_The senility of this one is almost tangible. It is as though he cannot recognize that there is another before him_.

"I am here to see the swordsman Kachikachi, whom I have determined makes his residence here."

"There is no swordsman here, sir. Nobody's come here for over thirty years, and some have even moved out after coming to New Paradigm. So I'd check somewhere else..._anywhere _else."

Undaunted, the demon burst through the door with a single punch. The inside of the complex was no better than the outside, with poorly made wood paneling, warped floorboards, and exposed mortar and brick in a number of places. The lighting itself was nearly useless, with only a few bulbs actually creating illumination.

"Gah! What do ya think yer doing?! You can't just break down a door and waltz in!"

Sesshomaru had now completely drawn out his most powerful weapon, the Tokijin, which in turn began to emit a powerful red aura. "Actually, I believe I can. You see, it's my belief that if a person, or demon in my case, should possess any significant power, it is his right to use it howsoever they want. I also think that those who try to stop them are in effect damning themselves. Now, where is the swordsman?"

"I...I don't know who you're talking about!"

This answer simply did not cut it, and the landlord learned this the hard way as he crashed headfirst into the wall. The impact did not kill him, but it would be hard to tell by the torrent of human fluids now oozing out of this gap. Having done this, Sesshomaru now extracted the sleaze.

"If there is any part of human nature I despise, it is their tendency to lie, and when one of them lies directly to my face it is especially distasteful. So I will only ask you one last time. _Where is Kachikachi?_" As the sentence came to a close, his vice-like fingers began to constrict around the man's larynx, resulting in a hardship of breathing. Even at this point he could hear the vertebrae crack. But as his hand was about to crush the man's throat completely a new presence assimilated.

"Is that really necessary, Sesshomaru? Or have you simply reverted to your savage state as have the better bulk of your kind?"

The demon, now hearing the voice of his target, released the landlord, who in turn lay paralyzed on the floor. "Well, it certainly has been a long while, but not long enough in my view. At any rate, I have a new assignment for you."

The speaker stepped forward into the brightest light possible, a "skylight" that was actually a hole in the roof covered in glass. Even from this poor lighting his was a powerful presence indeed. Robed in a kimono of the purest black and standing a full 6 feet tall, his sickly pale flesh proved to be a contrast image of the inky locks of hair that hung loosely behind his head. Eyes also of black scanned the hallway, and in order fell upon Sesshomaru's drawn sword, the demon's Duel Gauntlet that was the exact color of his own, and his own sword, nestled within the confines of his gold-decorated sheath.

"Really. Well, I am sorry to say that it does not matter what assignment I am given, for in any case I will have to refuse. Call it undermining your authority, rebelling against my own cause, or whatever you like, but I have neither the time nor desire to accomplish what menial tasks you are too inept to do yourself. And as you can imagine, whatever jobs Hiei has planned will simply be discarded. Now, if you will excuse me..." As the warrior turned, however, his path was blocked by a sharpened pipe that now served as a crude javelin. So he turned to Sesshomaru, whose outstretched arm was proof enough of who had committed the attempt on his life.

"It's not that simple, Kachikachi. From what you have said so far, it appears you think as though you have a choice in the matter. But the last time I checked, our old deal is still valid. And you have also forgotten that I could kill you at any moment." So saying, the demon brought his glowing sword into the floor, and if but for a moment the point was lost. Yet as thousands of glass-like shards burst out of the wood and tore deep into every vital organ of the defeated landlord, the end result was no longer merely a gruesome new paint upon the walls, but a degree of respect from the older warrior. Yet fear did not present itself.

_Damn him and his steadfastness. His are a people that have never bent easily to threats, but this is absolutely insane. It's like I could lose control over him at any moment. However, there is at least one way to make him work for me..._

"Perhaps I should have mentioned that the target of this assignment is the Pharaoh himself. If that doesn't make you interested, then I have been wasting my time here."

Barely visible though it was, a small spark of interest had been set in Kachikachi's eyes.

"Well, this alters the situation quite a bit, doesn't it? If that is the case I will be more than happy to deal with whatever task your commander has devised. However, in order for me to accomplish this I must have your word that no one will interfere; if I am to do this effectively I will need to be completely alone. Otherwise I will simply walk away, regardless of whatever pact you so tenaciously enforce, and neither you nor Hiei will ever hear from me again."

"As appealing as this sounds, I will agree to your terms nonetheless. Now, your assignment is relatively simple; all you will have to do is defeat the Pharaoh in a duel so that Naraku does not get to him first. You will then bring the Puzzle to me, and it will fall directly into Hiei's hands. He will get the Sennen Item he desires, I will receive the Tetsuaiga, and you will be able to settle whatever grudge you have against Yami, so everyone will benefit from this operation."

"I accept. But I must ask one more favor in return; if I should defeat the Pharaoh in this duel, I will be entitled to the Sennen Tauk afterwards, as well as your Tensuaiga in payment for my services. And I also have another request; the opportunity to battle you again, so that I may reclaim my lost honor from our last fight."

"Agreed. Now, you have until the end of tomorrow to face the spirit, so I would prepare your deck, and remember, win by any means necessary. If that means using the Orichalcos, so be it." And with that, the demon watched as his human operative walked back into the shadows...

Inuyasha vs. Yoko Kurama

"Alright, Yoko, I'll make the first move!" In one swoop the card on top of Inuyasha's deck became one more in his card pool. However, from the cards he'd gained, only two of them were of any immediate use. "I'll start by placing two cards face down, and summoning the Des Kangaroo in attack mode!" From his first card played emerged a medium-size marsupial with green fur and what looked like a purple boxing jacket. Fitted on both forelegs was a set of bright red gloves. (1400/1700) "Finally, I'll equip my creature with the Magic card, Raregold Armor! As long as this card remains equipped, my beast that wears it can be the only target of attack!" The jacket was soon replaced by a hefty suit of gilt platinum armor. "That will end my turn."

"If that is so, then it's my turn. I hope that you weren't too fixated on winning this match, for your Des Kangaroo will soon be nothing but a smear on the wall. I summon the monster known as Lekunga in attack mode!" Yoko's new creature was a circular algae with a yellowish eye in the center, surrounded by five tentacles that drew constant nourishment from the earth below it. (1700/700) "Lekunga, demolish his Des Kangaroo with Metabolic Absorption!" The hideous flora sent a stream of the same tentacles to strangle the beast, but within seconds the deadly assault was intercepted by a wall of blazing sapphire energy.

"Perhaps I should have mentioned earlier the face down card I played, but since you fell for it anyway, I might as well tell you of it. The card I activated is a Permanent Trap called Binding Sapphire Sigil, and when active it prevents all Water attribute monsters from attacking. However, that's not the only move you triggered, for I activate my second face down card, Life Break! This will force both players to discard all monster cards in our current hand, meaning that until your next turn you have nothing to defend yourself. But by that time your Lekunga will be at my mercy!"

_Damn it all! It's only the first move and he's already got the advantage; that last move alone cost me everything but two cards in my hand. I have to turn this around, and I might have a way to do it. _"Alright, I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"In which case, it's my turn again! I activate the magic card known as Monster Recovery, allowing me to shuffle one monster on my side of the field along with my hand into the deck, after which I can draw the same number of cards from the deck, giving me a new total of four cards to work with. Next, I'll summon the Vorse Raider in attack mode!" A new beast emerged, a deadly looking monstrosity with demonic armor and a wickedly curved blade. Even at that point his fangs were oozing in blood, and his eyes now flared with the purest malice. (1900/1200) "Last but not least, I'll activate the Magic card, Frenzied Rage! At the cost of 500 life points per turn, all monsters on my side of the field are allowed to attack twice with each move. Now, my raider, attack his Lekunga!"

"Not so fast, Inuyasha! Reveal the Trap card, Call of the Haunted! This card allows me to Special Summon any monster from my graveyard onto the field, and I select the dreaded Tribe-Infecting Virus! When this monster is on the field, I am allowed to discard one card from my hand, and in exchange...well, you'll see soon enough." Upon the once empty field zone emerged a cloud of microscopic viruses that had become so concentrated they were actually visible. (1600/1000) "Tribe-Infecting Virus, use your abilities on all Beast-Warrior monsters on the field!" Upon gaining the tribute the Virus launched onto the charging Vorse Raider, which in turn slowed to a halt. Within mere seconds the Raider began to claw away at it's very flesh as the burning sensation sent it insane, until it plunged it's own blade into the skin, purple organs now being extracted with the blood in a gruesome suicide. "This will happen to every monster you summon, for as long as there is a card in my hand to offer, I can select a new sub-type to devastate each time I choose."

"Fine. I will place one card face down and end my turn."

Another draw phase, but this time proved a success.

"I will start my turn by activating this Magic card, Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three new cards, at the price of two from my hand." Within seconds, the two discarded cards were on their path to the graveyard. "Next, I will activate the Magic card I chose to keep, Pot of Greed, in order to draw two new cards. Finally, I will place one of these cards face down, and summon the monster known as White Magical Hat!" A new soldier appeared, a svelte gentleman draped in a hat and cloak of the purest white, which seemed to coincide with the midnight blue of it's suit. (1000/700) "Now, White Magical Hat, mount a direct attack on the dog's life points! And I probably should mention that whenever my professional thief inflicts damage to your life points, you will lose one card from your hand, bringing you to no form of options." The nobleman now drew out a golden rapier, and so armed leapt forward, left hand outstretched to snatch away Inuyasha's final card. Yet the half-demon also had a trap waiting in the wings.

"I activate the Trap card, Drain Shield! This card allows me to negate the damage done by any opposing monster, and the attack force is added to my life points." The pillager was soon knocked away, while the golden shield that resulted from the trap's play condensed into his Duel Gauntlet (5000/4000) "And remember, my Sigil's still in play, so none of your Water-monsters can attack me. If you're planning on using that Virus, good luck with that, for it'll be buried by the time you get anything in that hand. Seems stupidity runs in the family, you stupid bastard."

"Hm. I'm afraid the solution is not that simple, for I still have a card face down on the field, and it's one of my favorites, the trap known as Roll of Destiny! It will allow me to roll a die once, and although I am forced to discard that number of cards from the deck afterwards, I will be able to draw a number before the discard equal to the same roll! Let's begin!" With a single twitch the die clattered about the arena floor, finally coming to a halt at the edge of the grass wall. "Hah! Now I can draw 4 new cards, and the rest that go, well, let's just say you won't miss them too much. Next, I'll activate the Magic card, Monster Reborn, which will allow me to special summon any monster destroyed in this duel, so come forth, my Lord Poison!" From the standard golden ankh of Monster Reborn emerged something completely out of the ordinary, a humanoid looking plant to which the term "hideous" could not be placed without downsizing it. The entire creature was mud gray in appearance, with two long arms jutting out and producing claw-like roots. (1500/1000) "My creature may not seem overly powerful right now, but with the activation of this Magic card, the Foolish Burial, he has the potential to be unstoppable. All I have to do is have the Lord destroyed, and the move I just played will become quite clear. However, my Lord Poison is still a Water monster, and is bound by the Sigil you kept on the field, so the most I can do is play one final card face down, to end my turn."

As Inuyasha drew his next card with a degree of surprise, it became clear to him that this duel was not as hopeless as it seemed. (4500/4000)

"I activate the Magic card known as Confiscation! By activating this card I can force you to drop a card from your hand, while all I lose is a thousand life points! As if that wasn't enough, I've also shut down your Virus's effect, meaning that my monsters are free to destroy it! And speaking of which, I summon the monster known as Berserk Gorilla in attack mode!" (3500/4000) A new, even deadlier savage emerged from whence the Vorse Raider came, a gigantic silverback gorilla who would have been fairly intimidating without the ever-increasing dementia that was in the beast's eyes. Even as it was summoned it began to shake violently, as the three enemy monsters stood at the ready, while a trickle of foam slipped out of the monster's jaws. (2000/1000) "In order for my monster to stay in use, I need to keep it in face-up attack mode, and I must also attack with it whenever possible, but that is perfectly fine with me. Berserk Gorilla, get rid of that damn plague he set on the field!" However, the Gorilla had other plans in mind, as it instead lumbered towards the Lord Poison, which in turn now wore a suit of thin, devilish armor.

"You forgot that the last turn I took ended with one card face down, and the card I selected was known as Target Redirecting Armor. It allows me to negate one attack launched at my monster, and change the target to any other monster on the field, so I decided to target the monster whose destruction would benefit me the most: my Lord Poison!" Within an instant the fiendish weed was in the powerful fists of the deranged ape, and just as quickly snapped in half. (3500/3500) "You see, when the Lord Poison monster is sent to the graveyard as a result of battle, it places a tiny pod onto the field. And it is through that pod that I am allowed to Special Summon any Plant-type monster from the grave so long as it is not the Lord Poison. So return to me, King of Faeries Oberon!" In the same field zone where the Lord Poison had been played a small seed appeared, which grew to be about seven feet tall, and from this emerged a towering being. The new monster was easily of royal heritage, resplendent in robes of pearl, and bound by thick chest armor which wrapped around the neck and bore slight resemblance to plant life. From his back jutted two overwhelming insect wings, and his right hand clutched a relatively simple scepter inset with a round sapphire, and his elvish face looked as though age had not graced it in over a century. (2200/1700) At the same time this noble began to mumble a chant of antiquity, resulting in the Lekunga growing about twenty extra tendrils and gaining a set of two eyes upon it's head, giving it greater vision in the process. (2700/2000) (2200/1000)

"_What the hell just happened?!"_

Even from this distance, the fox demon's level of arrogance was unbearable. "It is the special ability of Oberon that caused this power boost. For as long as my creature remains face up on the field, all Plant-type monsters in my control will gain an extra 500 attack and defense points, meaning that both my Lekunga and Oberon are unassailable. But at the same time, keep in mind that my Virus is still open for attack."

"Alright then, Berserk Gorilla, use the effect of your Frenzied Rage to demolish his Tribe-Infecting Virus!" Now completely incensed, the primate warlord leapt into the sky, and from this perch crashed into the cloud of plague, unable to defend itself from the immense weight of the barrage. (3500/3100) "That shuts down one plan for you, so I'll end my turn."

"Very well, it's my move." And the card he drew was just the one to win this duel.

"Inuyasha, I am sorry to say that this match is about to take a whole new twist, so I'll place one monster in defense mode, and that will end my turn."

"Alright, it's my move!" _Okay, in order for me to take down this moron, I'll need to draw out his defenses. He may be able to hide behind his offensive monsters, but if he should play defense, I'll have a surprise for him._

"I'm afraid it'll take a lot more than your face down monster to throw me off of this match, and believe me, I have just the creature to deal with it. I summon the Enraged Battle Ox in attack mode!" Another monster stepped out onto the field, a massive bull-like creature that seemed to stand upon it's hind feet. This would have been a disconcerting enough sight without the fact that this oxen was guarded by crimson and gold armor and hefted a gigantic battle ax. (1700/1000) "And thanks to the special ability of this infuriated version of an otherwise useless monster, all Beast, Beast-Warrior, and Winged Beast monsters can inflict damage even if the target is in defense mode! Berserk Gorilla, attack his face-down monster with Primal Crash!" Leaping forth for the third time, the ape proceeded to bring both mighty forearms onto the face-down creature, but instead of shattering as it normally would, the monster rose forth as a frail ceramic pod. (500/500)

Once both fists had dragged the thing apart, this new plant began to launch roots out of the resulting chasm, spreading rapidly across the field until the entire arena was engulfed in a massive forest. At the center of this woodsy development was a gigantic oak tree, pulsing with the energies that now resided in the graveyard, and for a while, nothing happened...until an infinite number of tendrils snaked out and placed the cards on the field and graveyard into both player's hands. (3500/1600)

"Thanks, you baka inu. You just activated my Fiber Jar."

Kaiba's Office

To say that Seto Kaiba had not been the target of an assassination attempt before this point would not only be an absolute fallacy, but would also be complete stupidity. For as far back as he had snatched control of Kaiba Corp from the depraved hands of Gozaburo Kaiba, he had been the focal point of every professional hit man, bounty hunter, and gang member project in at least ten different countries. The circumstances had the inevitable tendency to vary, as did the methods by which their plans failed to come into success, but each had one overly terminal imperfection: all of them underestimated Kaiba's brilliance in such areas.

Sango, on the other hand, was not so fortunate.

"Mr. Kaiba? Is something wrong?"

"Alright, Minamoto, I want you to listen closely. I'm not sure whether this enemy has armor-piercing bullets or not, so if I don't make it out of here alive, take my dueling deck to Yugi Mouto, and don't let that bastard Hiei leave the city unless it's in a mortician's bag. But in the meantime, I need you to press that silver button next to my hand." So saying, Kaiba now raised both hands into the air, much to the girl's befuddlement. "Don't ask any questions, Sango, just press it. NOW!!!"

Confused as she was, the demon slayer decided that Kaiba's idea was easily the only one that could be useful in a position such as this, and so went with it...just as a resounding blast from the roof nearest them tore through the air. Kaiba, now certain in his safekeeping, placed his hands down and took no notice as a dent became part of the hefty fiberglass security window.

"What was that?!"

"Pay it no heed, for now at least. But I'm afraid we'll need to conduct our business elsewhere; at this rate, it won't be too long before our assassin will pull out the heavy artillery." At which point the security window was plastered with dozens of heavy-duty bullets, resulting in a small spider web formation on each impact sight. As each one created this pattern, Kaiba could very well determine that the integrity of the window was becoming compromised in far too swift a moment for comfort, and so decided to begin clearing up his office. At this point of the game, it became clear that this new enemy would likely try to get into his office and gather the proper information to destroy him. And it was for that reason that he activated the intercom.

"Attention all employees and guests. I am afraid I must cut your businesses short, as we must begin evacuation procedures. Please exit the building in an orderly fashion and stay at least 500 yards from the building upon exiting. You will be allowed the designated time to leave."

Of course, the calculating CEO was not one to abandon his work completely; after all, the data he had just gained on New Paradigm was worthy of many thousands of dollars, and there was no way he would abandon it now. So planning, he began to process this information on one of his floppy discs as he gathered what irreplaceable documents he had in that area. But even as his final important papers were collected, the security window shattered...and Sango was right in the firing range.

"_Damn it, Minamoto, get away from the window!_"

The roar of a sniper rifle un-silenced shattered the air as it's ammunition screamed directly into the office transom, letting all who had the resolve to hear it's awful tenor tear deep into the workaday peace of New Paradigm. Those who did see it could only watch in horror as the bullet punctured their lives and lacerated their very souls, and deep with the populace knew that the Time of Peace was over, and yet refused to look this fact in the eye. Denial had, over the countless years, become infused with the persona of the city itself, and as such the poor simpletons could not bear this overwhelming fact. But it would have brought them a degree of comfort had they known the bullet had not reached it's target.

"Thank God for Kevlar", Kaiba intoned to anyone who would listen as he was knocked backwards from the force of the blast, his own firearm drawn and fired.

"Mr. Kaiba!"

Now horrified at what her stupidity had done, Sango rushed over to the weakened duelist, now lifting himself from the position in the outside office which the gunshot had placed him in.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. However, I'm afraid we're going to have to get out of this office; I have a hunch that whoever the assailant was, he wasn't working alone. I've dealt with bastards like him before now, and from what I know of the profession, an assassin of that dexterity would likely go for the highest bidder. From this perspective, the only possible client is Hiei." Having now stood to his full height, Kaiba reached for the lightweight attaché case where he keep his important documents and his deck, while at the same time placing the heavy magnum with which he had stopped the assault into it's proper holster. "Alright, at this point, I can easily calculate we'll have about twenty minutes to get out of here before the other goons show up. Meaning we have about fifteen to get out of this building." And so the two bolted out of the cramped office in the swiftest of manners, as it was now sharply obvious that Kaiba had no intention of letting this building stay up for longer than that. Yet before the two left, Kaiba typed a small command into his desktop computer, at which a miniature modem appeared out of the main one.

Within about five minutes the two were outside of the building, and the situation in which they found themselves was complete bedlam. Neither of them had any grasp onto how this pitiful attempt at murder would send the populace into absolute insanity, but it had anyway; as far as the human eye could see, the people of New Paradigm were screaming relentlessly, charging right into traffic like so many decapitated chickens. Part of this maddened crowd was Kaiba's office staff, and even they had been sent into complete disorder, a few swarming around the dead body of the hit man, and at least one of them scrambling through the pockets of such. But every single unit of that set that was not reduced to psychosis was fixated on the hefty sniper rifle that now lay in the streets, and from this single machine of death it was presumed that the end had truly come.

For these humans, peace meant all of the world to them. Their views were rather simplistic in that they believed that a global negation of combat could truly be accomplished, but when they realized that this was not to occur, the populace decided to follow their impromptu dictator into the skies. Denial became the watchword for these morons, and as surely could be perceived they came to the conclusion that by simply removing themselves from the game they could be at peace. This day had proven them wrong, in a rather large step.

Kaiba, however, had not been born in such delusion, and because of this he was one of the very few on which the attempt at his life had no after-effect. But because of this panic he was forced to rethink his current plan as he and Sango ran into the nearby parking garage. If he should detonate his office building the entire city would go into cardiac arrest, but if he did not, the lives of thousands would be devastated in one blow. The information he had on that single computer was more than enough for Hiei and others to locate their own enemies and completely obliterate them and their families. As if that wasn't enough, Kaiba also stored the newfound data on Paradigm Corp, and if that was discovered the local government would have his head.

_The time has come to make my decision. Either direction will make or break me if not approached cautiously, and if my hands are found on either situation I will be slain. Yugi and the others will also be affected, for the data on my computer stores their personal records. So now I must make a choice: peace or life?_

Yet as he placed his ignition key into the black sports car his immense wealth had gained him, the solution was now painfully obvious. Peace may have been in the future, but it was not worth the life of so many people.

The powerful engine ensconced within the vehicle now sent it's sweet soprano high into the air, completely drowning out the yelps and howls of the plebeians that grew ever farther behind them as Kaiba sped deep into the city. Where exactly he was headed is anyone's guess, but his destination changed upon the next few minute's conversation.

"Alright, Sango, I gave you the sanctuary you needed, as well as nearly getting myself killed for your sake. Now what I need is some idea of where I'm going, and who specifically to look for."

"Supposedly Naraku has set up a kind of espionage network through which he can track Hiei and the others, so all we need to do is find out who has been tracking the Black Shadow Unit, Hiei's private army. But to be honest, I'm not entirely clear on where to start searching."

Smirking in an amused manner, Kaiba began to scan through his mini modem while his free hand continued steering; he was clearly an expert driver in cars such as this. "You're joking, right? All we'll have to do is make a scan of communications systems in New Paradigm. Once those points are located, we specify the screening process and condense it down into inter-city transmitters, since it's unlikely that this demon has contacts outside of Paradigm. After these are specified we reduce the results down to systems unassociated with Paradigm Corp; in other words, "family" communications."

Even Sango knew what this meant. They were about to deal directly with the mob. Kaiba, however, did not seem overly worried as his GPS tracker made all necessary adjustments so that they could locate these comm systems.

"So what exactly will happen once these are isolated?"

"We continue to search, this time using Kaiba Corp's political databank. You see, a president in my position is probably going to have difficulties with police officials and mobsters alike, so I took it upon myself to design a storage facility from which we could investigate all of these weak links. In the process, I compiled _all _connections to these gangs...including those that operated in Paradigm. So all I have to do is have our network screen all non-government communications using this data, and any contact that isn't from any of these families or the Black Shadow Unit will lead us directly to Naraku's contact. Once we find them, it'll be fairly easy to find out where that bastard Hiei is hiding, using a few interrogation methods of my own." Within seconds all of Kaiba Corp's political satellites were focused entirely on finding the exact specifications that Seto had mapped out. "Before we begin our actual search, why exactly have you been tracking that demon for such a long time in the first place?"

"Call it something of a vengeance streak. Simply put, he got to Naraku and the other targets of my people before I could. You could label it as a professional conflict, if you'd like. However, he also has something else I need, the Shikon no Tama."

_So, the sacred jewel rears it's ugly head once again. I may not know all of it's secrets, but if it's important enough to burn down Tokyo for it, then Hiei wielding it is by no means a good sign. And the very fact that the demon went completely out of the way to take down Higurashi for the same crystal is concerning in itself. The true question, however, is how she is involved in all of this, when all she did was capture the jewel within her body._

"What of you, Seto Kaiba? It seems pretty obvious at this point in the game that petty vengeance isn't much a part of your repertoire, and considering the fact that he never made a strike against you before this tournament, it also appears that someone of your stature wouldn't have problems with Spirit World before now..."

"Believe me, I'm after the bastard for much more than petty revenge. My grievances with him are drawn from much more recent experiences, and what he did to me is unforgivable. So from my standpoint, as you put it, I have only two options: crush him in a duel, or tear the very muscles from his bones in the process. In the meantime, however, we'll just have to operate through that pansy Naraku."

As if by strings, Sango stood fully straight upon hearing these harsh words from Kaiba, as though the very thought of insulting the demon was enough to incur his wrath.

"Relax. By the time the bitch finds out anything we'll be halfway through the finals. And at this stage of the game, there's not a lot he can do to me anyway that hasn't been done before now." Yet as Kaiba continued the converse his dashboard computer made a noise that was rather hard to ignore.

_Target located. Speakeasy Tavern, Quadrant 3. 45, Cromwell Street._ And as it happened, Kaiba was directly on this street.

"Alright, once we get in there I'll go straight for the informant. You'll handle any messy details, and if either of us get out alive that person will go directly to the other duelists. Got that?"

"Right. But there's one thing I forgot. I owe you something of a life debt, and I'd like to repay that now." Sango was now sweating profusely, barely able to keep still as she finally removed the mask she had worn since her introduction to Kaiba, and even from this point Kaiba could see something was wrong. What exactly it was could not be easily determined until the car stopped in front of the rundown tavern where she made it very clear what the problem was.

Within an instant, Sango Minamoto sent Seto Kaiba into absolute shock by crushing her own lips against his in a rather unexpected kiss.

Roger vs. R.D.

"Simply for the sake of argument, I will begin this duel." Even with the most fleeting of glances Roger began to discover that this starting hand was not the best he could come up with. With only one magic and trap apiece and three useless monsters, he would have to make do with the worthless resources he had. "I'll start by placing one card face down, and summoning Roboyarou in defense mode!" The first monster he played was a humanoid creature with heavy blue armor, upon which were welded thin spikes of iron. (900/700) "Your move. But before I let you begin this duel, let me ask you something. Why exactly have you entered this tournament in the first place? When you and I first met the exact same was true, since at the time I saw no readily obvious reason for you to murder all of those people in cold blood." In response to the query, Red Destiny gave him another demented smirk that sent streams of ice into his blood stream.

"After nearly seven years you have yet to figure out the purpose for my actions, Negotiator? Do you mean to regale me with the fact that you are such a moron that you cannot even figure out the inner meanings of my, shall we say, crimes of passion? Well, if that is the case, I will not dignify that question with a response. Now that this is cleared away, it's my move!" One more card in hand, R.D. began to study her current situation with unbridled joy. _So far, none of my more powerful strategies are within immediate reach, but until that happens I will simply have to use another. _"I will start this duel by summoning the Cannon Soldier in Attack mode!" The second monster played was nothing if not horrendous, a clattering steel machine whose pneumatic legs and clawed arm units were rusted and disjointed. Upon the artificial intelligence computer was mounted a cumbersome artillery piece. (1400/1300) "Next, I will play two of the most powerful Magic cards in my entire deck, the Black Pendant and Big Bang Shot!" As the manic cybernetic played the two, a decorative piece of jewelry shimmering with a dark necromancy assimilated on the shoulders of the Machine, while a shoe-like device equipped with rockets attached to the beast's foot. (2300/1300) "Finally, I will activate my last Magic card, Dark Room of Nightmare!" As the final card was played on the field, the entire arena became engulfed in a dark fog-like substance, after which a large, tomb styled plot appeared. Even as the very torches flickered along said walls, an array of strange and distorted shadows walked confidently on the sides, searching for prey to devour. "The power of this Magic will make itself very clear on my next turn, but for now, the power of my Cannon Soldier will have to suffice! Cannon Soldier, attack and destroy his Roboyarou!" Unfortunately, this command was not about to go through, thanks to Roger's own swift thinking.

"Activate the Trap Card, Zero Gravity! Upon activation, this Trap will switch the battle positions of all monsters face-up on the field, meaning that your Cannon Soldier is forced into defense, where he can't attack!" Within an instant, the Cannon Soldier was crouched in something of a fetal position, unable to strike as it's enemy stood confidently for the assault.

"Not too bad, Negotiator. In light of this development I will place one card face down, and pass the count to you."

Another card drawn, and although not game breaking by any stretch, it would be more than enough to take down the Cannon Soldier.

"Alright, R.D., I may not know how you returned to this city, but let me assure you it will _not_ happen again, for I activate the Magic Card, Machine Replication!" From the shadows of the Nightmare Room tramped forward two more copies of Roboyarou. "You see, if I have any machine monster on my side of the field, I am allowed to summon the two remaining ones from my deck, so long as the original has under 1500 attack points. Next, I will sacrifice one of these monsters to summon the Machine King in attack mode!" The first Roboyarou was slowly disassembled from an invisible source, and from it's parts was devised the framework of an even greater mechanical soldier. The device in question stood about 30 feet tall with red and silver armor, with two massive mechanical fists at it's side. Upon summoning the creatures ruby vision port grew bright as it recognized the presence of other machines and drew power from this. (2600/2000) "Thanks to the Machine King's special ability, it will gain 100 extra attack points for every single machine-type monster on the field, itself included. Machine King, destroy the Cannon Soldier with Twin Rocket Assault!" As this order was lain in the mecha's hard drive, it lifted up both of it's heavy arms, and from them let sail both fists on jets of flame, yet as the double assault screamed towards it's fellow machine, an otherwise unheralded Trap activated. As though from some perverse twist in the fabric of reality, the rocket-propelled forearms were absorbed in a set of wormholes.

"HA! I knew you were too stupid to regard my face down card, the trap known as Negate Attack! It allows me to halt the attack of any enemy monster, while at the same time ending your Battle Phase completely so that no other damage can be dealt to me in this turn from an attack!"

_Damn it! Not only does she have a nearly unstoppable monster on the field, but she must also have a plan to use that Cannon Soldier's special effect and demolish my life points! Luckily, her Negate Attack will only last one turn, meaning that when I move again I'll be able to take that monstrosity down! _"If that's the way you want it, I'll place a card face down and end my turn."

Another card drawn, and it was the perfect one for her strategy.

"I activate the Magic Card, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards from my deck, followed by the activation of the two Magic cards I drew by the effect, Mass Driver and Stray Lambs." Upon two of the open monster zones leapt a pair of horribly discolored lambs, barely able to stand still as the shadows of the Nightmare Room skittered about them. (0/0) x2 The second card resulted in a much different effect, for behind the Cannon Soldier emerged a gigantic silver chain cannon, mounted onto the ground via a set of bracers linked to the sides. "Allow me to explain this next move to you, Roger. As long as my Mass Driver remains face up on the field, I am allowed to sacrifice any monster to inflict the opponent 400 life points damage. At the same time, I also have a Cannon Soldier face up on the field, which states that I can sacrifice any monster that I happen to control to deal 500 points of damage to you as well, and while the effects of other cards do not count for Cannon Soldier, Mass Driver's effect states nothing of the sort! So by sacrificing one of my Lamb Tokens, I can cause you 900 points of direct damage due to their combined effects. And that is where my Dark Room of Nightmare comes into play, for as long as we are within the borders of said room, any damage that was not caused by battle is increased by 300 points! So now I sacrifice both of my tokens to deal you 2400 points of direct damage! _Cannon Soldier, Mass Driver, and Dark Room of Nightmare, activate!_" The Cannon Soldier, having been told his tribute, lifted up the two sheep and placed both into his main fuel tank, where the precious life fluids were extracted and converted into fuel as the dehydrated corpses were discarded soon after. Having found the proper energy source from which to fire, the Cannon Soldier powered up the artillery unit that had thus far remained dormant. At the exact same moment, the Mass Driver picked up similar fuel, this time from the ectoplasm byproduct of the Cannon Soldier, and it's steel barrel began to glow red with this power. As for the shadows of the Room, they began to slither forward, ready to strike the enemy down with their own brand of deluded justice.

But the infamous negotiator would not have it.

"Activate the Trap card, Holy Life Barrier! In exchange for one card from my hand, I am allowed to negate any and _all_ damage done to my life points during this turn, including damage from the effects of other cards!" Just as each individual effect was about to attack, a trio of priestesses appeared around Roger and began to chant, resulting in a barrier of golden iridescence that stood against the blasts of the machines and the merciless claws of the shade creatures.

"Damn you to hell, Roger Smith. I will end my turn by equipping my Cannon Soldier with the Magic card, Horn of the Unicorn, which will raise my creature's total attack and defense points by 700. Your move." As R.D.'s turn came to a close, a horn that seemed hewn from the mythical creature that was it's namesake attached to the mech gunner, and gave the beast a 700 point total increase. (3000/2000) And with that, Roger drew another card...and in this situation, it was just the card he needed.

"I activate the card known as Monster Reborn, to resurrect any monster that has been destroyed in this duel, so I select the monster I was forced to discard last turn, the machine known as Robotic Knight!" Once again the golden ankh emerged, and in it's wake was the closest thing to a machine dandy that either had ever seen. The mech warrior was decked with a European-style rapier, while it's orange armor seemed to match the French styling of the Napoleonic era. The only device that seemed removed from this decor was the massive Gatling gun attached to its right arm. (1600/1800) "But I'm afraid my turn isn't over yet, for I also activate my Polymerization Magic card, to fuse my Machine King and Robotic Knight to create the Perfect Machine King!" Almost instantly the suzerain and vassal of the Machine world stepped into the raging vortex of Polymerization, and the grotesque sounds of machine dissection could be heard from within, until such time as a new monstrosity emerged. The new machine stood about 40 feet in height, decked out on both shoulders with ballistic missile batteries, as well as a set of mechanical wings and a general armor that gave it some semblance of the Gundams of animation lore. (2700/2500) "Next, I will switch both of my Roboyarous into attack position, seeing as you still have that Big Bang Shot equipped to the Cannon Soldier. And of course we mustn't forego the fact that my latest Machine gets a 500 point bonus for every machine monster on the field." (4700/2500) "Unfortunately, my Perfect Machine King can't attack this turn, so go ahead and attack, if you think you can. "

Another card, but sadly, it was not a monster, or any usable card for that matter.

_Damn it all! If I use my combo on the Soldier itself, I'll be wide open to a direct attack from his accursed Machine King. And I can't afford an attack either, for even if I do destroy one of his Roboyarous, my Cannon Soldier would be finished by next turn. However, I think I have a plan to take down his current advantage._

"I'll place one card face down, and have my Cannon Soldier attack your Roboyarou on the left side of the Machine King!" Now fully prepared to strike, the Cannon Soldier activated the second component of his artillery unit, and aimed directly for the robotic warlord. As soon as the target was slated, the cannon switched to bullet ammunition and launched an all-out assault on the machine, tearing its inner workings to ribbons until the entire unit fell apart. (1900/4000) "I will then end my turn." _Come on, Smith, attack my Cannon Soldier. If this is going to work, I'll need you to strike it down._

"Alright, Destiny, it's my move again. While my Perfect Machine King may have lost some attack strength because of that last attack, (4200/2500) it still has more than enough attack strength to get rid of that monstrosity, especially when I play this Magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy that Horn of the Unicorn, causing your Cannon Soldier to lose 700 attack and defense points, as well as placing it atop your deck!" But once the horn vanished from the Cannon Soldier's head, R.D. decided to spring her trap.

"You fool, you've played right into my hand! I activate the Trap card known as Card of Last Will, which will allow me to draw a total of five cards whenever the attack of any monster on the field is decreased!" (2300/1300)

"It doesn't matter, for with my next attack I will bring this duel to it's final stages! Perfect Machine King, destroy her Cannon Soldier once and for all with Ballistic Volley Assault!" Having set it's targets on the Soldier from the beginning, the Perfect Machine King sent a hellish rain of explosives crashing into the menace that wiped all traces of it from existence, but reduced it's attack power in the process. (3700/2500) (1900/1900) However, the effect of Black Pendant kicked in regardless, sending a jolt of shadow magic crashing into his chest. (1400/1900) "But since I don't know what cards you drew by Card of Last Will, I will switch my Roboyarou into defense mode." His remaining borg crouched with twin arms guarding itself. "That will end my turn, but once my next move comes there will be nothing you can do to stop my barrage."

But much to his chagrin, the android assassin stared down at her cards, and a wide, psychotic grin became another part of her face.

_I'm afraid that this duel is far from over, Roger Smith. You may have_ _destroyed my Cannon Soldier, but I will win this duel regardless..._

Customs House, near the _Des Volstgulph_

To say that the meeting was going as planned would be completely moronic.

It had become increasingly obvious that the two opposing viewpoints in this conference were about to come to blows over their varying perspectives on the problem at hand, and judging from the shouting on one side and the unyielding fortitude of the other something was about to go horribly wrong. Of course, exactly what _would _go askew was anyone's guess at this point.

"Allow me to try and grasp what you are forcing down my throat. You want my operatives in New Paradigm to go out of their way and take down a bunch of imbeciles whom I could care less about. You then want these same operatives to take the sundry items and deliver them directly to your superiors in Paradigm Corp, from which point I will be under the hire of some psychotic from Spirit World, and thus serve as some kind of powerless lackey."

The rather harsh words of this client were not entirely inaccurate, but it was not in their best interests to let on about this. There was also another problem in this equation, but this was not to be discussed at any time.

The client, if you could call him that, did not appear to be someone to take lightly. Bedecked in clothes of sea blue and a cloak that shone of pearl, his cold persona seemed amplified by the clothing he took upon himself to wear. The only thing truly unususal about him was that he had rather strange sky blue hair that seemed mussed about and yet completely organized, as well as a tiny jewel upon his forehead. And while these morons couild not discern it, his right arm played host to a pure white Duel Gauntlet.

"Believe me, sir, our master had no intentions of forcing you to work for us without proper retribution for your services. In fact, what we have here is a mere fraction of what you will be paid for your time and troubles." And so a huge black briefcase was slapped upon the table, and upon opening the carry-on was revealed to contain fresh, crisp 100 dollar bills. In this case alone there had to be thousands, if not millions, of dollars. "I'm beginning to think that your opinions of us are about to change dramatically, am I correct?"

No change at all in his collected face, although a degree of indignation made itself very clear in his ever narrowing eyes.

"You have no idea of what this is about, do you? I am in this tournament for one purpose and one purpose only, and it is not to fulfill my temptations of the flesh, as you idiots seem to think. No, my reasons here are for a much grander scale than any of you boobs could possibly comprehend within your feeble minds, but I am willing to make an offering of sorts."

For these brainless lackies, it seemed as if Christmas had come early.

"Yes? What is your idea?"

"I am gladly willing to work for this "Demon King", so long as I receive the Jewel of Four Souls beforehand. If I do not receive this payment, then I will walk out of this meeting and none of you will see me again."

Silence. During which time the operatives began to ponder the pros and cons of this new development. The Shikon was easily one of the most powerful totems of power that the master had lain claim to. If they agreed to these terms, Hiei would certainly kill them all. But if not, one of the most powerful duelists on Earth would leave them with nothing. So as in any difficult situation like this the thugs decided to go with their failsafe.

Within a second, all of them had handguns of various strength pointed at their enemy.

"Surely you jest, gentleman. If you honestly believe that I will bend to threats, then I am afraid that you are sorely mistaken. However, when I should threaten someone, I can actually back up my claim." And upon saying this, the new enemy extracted a card from his left pocket. "ORICHALCOS, SEAL THEIR SOULS!"

Upon his command, all five of the goons developed an impossibly complex pentagram upon their foreheads. Glowing in a vibrant green, this unholy symbol was composed of a six-pointed star in the center, surrounded by various Greek texts that emitted a strange tune, haunting and maddening at once. And for a moment, nothing happened, until the Seal of Orichalcos drew out the souls of it's targets, and drained them off into the card from whence it was spawned.

And with new souls in tow, the Atlantean king known only as Dartz strode out of the building, caring not that it burned in his own hatred, or worrying about the fact that millions of dollars were burning with it...

Yami's hotel room

And so all was about to come out into the open.

Kagome could barely keep her composure as she laid bare all of Naraku's mechanations, his deluded quest for the Shikon Jewel, how he had corrupted Kikyo so many years ago, his various incarnations, and the miscellaneous cruelties he had inflicted upon her until he had mysteriously vanished nearly a year after the entire conflict had begun. Strangely enough the madman had left his massive chunk of the Jewel behind; despite the fact that nearly half of it was gone did not worry anybody in the very least. After a while, however, when the remaining shards did not show up it was unanimously decided that they had been deposited in some other time, and the quest was abandoned. But the question remained: what had happened to the lunatic the five had held off so many times?

For a while, though, silence stood as head of affairs for some time, during which Yami attempted to grasp the truckload of information that had been dumped upon him in one very uncomfortable sitting. This was easily the strangest conflict he had ever heard of, with the exception of his more recent difficulties with Spirit World, but even so it was difficult to comprehend.

It was this intricacy of the tale that led to the next conflict, for despite his attempts at understanding the problem, Kagome started to realize that he was barely able to understand the troubles of his new enemy...and took it entirely in the wrong direction.

_He thinks I'm a freak, doesn't he? It figures; I finally meet a guy that cares about me from the start, and I completely screw it up by talking about my past with Naraku and Inuyasha._ _GOD, I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!_

Of course, it is safe to assume that Yami had some idea of what was going on at this point, and it is also safe to say that his feelings towards Kagome had by no means been marred. But as he noted her ever increasing depression, the ancient Pharaoh also began to realize that she had misconceived his initial bewilderment, and her next words confirmed this hypothesis. The theory was given even more evidence when she got up and motioned towards her baggage.

"Alright, Yami, if you want me to leave, I'll understand. It'll take me a little while to get all of my suff together, but I should be out of here in a few minutes."

But within a split second, the Pharaoh realized his enormous blunder, and was willing to do anything to repair it. And in this mindframe he leapt forward and clamped onto her arm like a vise, tears already forming along his eyes.

"Kagome, I know I've made some mistakes over the years. I'm absolutely sure now that my actions in Egypt to complete the Sennen Items were unforgivable. My methods against Yugi's enemies were despicable, I realize that. And what I almost did to Seto Kaiba was in itself the worst act I nearly committed. But if I did anything to you, in this moment, please don't take it personally. If I made you feel like an idiot, I'm sorry for that too, but the information you just gave me is somewhat bewildering for me to grasp in seconds. And if you think what happened in the past made me love you any less, then you are mistaken; if anything it has caused me to fall for you even more. But don't cause me any more pain then I've gone through already, for if you should walk out that door because of what I did I could never forgive myself for it. Please, just stay with me in my hour of need; at this point, I need someone like you now more than ever. I just don't want to lose you..."

It had happened. In one rather strange conversation the tormented feelings of two young lovers had now fallen perfectly into place. And once more history had come full circle, as the two held onto each other much in the same way Atem and Kikyo had over five thousand years ago...

To Be Continued

Ok, sorry for the short and cheesy at the end, but it was otherwise awesome.

Ok, next time we will continue the duels of Yusuke and Inuyasha. Kaiba will react to Sango's kiss, but the question is how? Yami and Naraku will finally meet, and Yami no Marik shows his face on the scene.

Remember, READ, REVIEW, AND DON'T FLAME!

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	28. Hell's Doppelganger

Disclaimer: If I owned any of this, it'd be televised.

Ok, the last chapter began the duels of Inuyasha and Roger Smith. At the same time, Yami and Kagome continue to get closer together when Naraku's role is explained. The dark swordsman Kachikachi came into play, and the Atlantean king Dartz is revealed. Also, Kaiba and Sango ran into fresh difficulties outside the Speakeasy.

In this chapter, Sango's loyalties are revealed, while Naraku presents himself to the Pharaoh. At the same time, Yusuke and Inuyasha continue their duels, and Yami no Marik appears once more with murder in his heart.

Let's tear this apart!

Chapter 27: Hell's Doppelganger

Yusuke vs. Weevil

It had finally happened. The true nightmare was mere seconds away from beginning. Not only was the most powerful insect in Duel Monsters two turns away from emerging from its silken sarcophagus, a second, unknown moth was splitting the bindings of reality even as Yusuke was forced to watch. In the background could be heard Weevil's grotesque screech he called a laugh as part two of his plan came into play, as Kotodama was finally destroyed after the agonizing turns that had preceded the summon of the arthropod duelist's latest monster. But what horrific avatar of the bug warrior's madness was about to come forth was anyone's guess, until such time as the monstrosity itself emerged, as it split apart the epidermis of its host body and cast away the fleshy cocoon in which it had enveloped itself.

The hideous moth was not dissimilar to the Great Moth in general structure, except for the fact that its antennae bore more semblance to those of an actual moth. The entire beast was pigmented in varying shades of purple, while it's wings were a similar type of blue. (2700/2500) But the strangest part of this summon was that the Poison Moth had been called forth on Yusuke's side of the field. And if this was the case, then the effect of the creature was bound to be trouble.

"As can be expected, I am beginning to see the earliest signs of shock upon your features, Urameshi. I can almost imagine what must be going through your dimly lit mind of yours: what is he thinking? After all, even with my ultimate attack block that I have set up on the field, there is never an immediate reason to simply _give_ an opponent a monster that falls 300 points short of the infamous Blue Eyes White Dragon without some kind of retribution, is there? Even one as stupid as you must have figured that one out. Well, it seems to me that your latest monster will come in very handy for me soon enough. So go ahead and make your move, if you dare, for this duel is just about over!"

How the match was sealed, despite Weevil's chiding words, was not completely clear to Yusuke, simply because this was a situation that he had never had the poor fortune to find himself in.

_If what the little shit said is true, than there must be some reason he went to the great length of calling it to my side of the field. But even if the effect is devastating, it's pretty clear that it isn't the only plan he has set up, and his Cocoon isn't helping me much at all. But until I figure out how to deactivate his so called plan, I'll have to go right for the jugular, and I have just the card in hand to do it. _But while the card he had just drawn was not readily useful, it would certainly help in the long run.

"Alright, Underwood, it's my move, so get ready for some fireworks! All I have to do is take down that pathetic cocoon that you set up on the field, an you'll have nothing capable of defeating Raiden!" However, even as this bold claim was set forth the hideous insect that hovered over Yusuke's head began to shake its massive wings slightly, resulting in a hail of miniature scales upon it's master. From the rain of skin emerged a large, dust-colored cloud that seeped into Yusuke's lungs with a taste similar to bitter almonds. (2800/3200) "Damn it, Weevil, what's going on?!"

"Again, your immense ignorance makes a rather unwelcome appearance on this duel. Perhaps you should have made more of an effort in your education while your town was still in one piece! You see, there are several species of moth whose wings are covered in a special type of scale used to ward off predators, for not only are these decorations colorful, they are loaded down with a bitter tasting neurotoxin, which in large doses can result in death! This theory has been placed in the Poison Moth, whose spastic fluttering will result in a 500 point dip in your life points each turn! Tell me, Urameshi, how much did you learn in your time at school that you did not leech from that whore Yukimora?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU DIDN'T KNOW HER LIKE I DID, SO WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO INSULT HER LIKE THAT?!" But even with Yusuke's outburst, Weevil remained nonchalant.

"I see my words have struck a discordant nerve within you, and judging from this I can also discern that she meant a lot to you before her rather untimely disappearance. And regardless of what you have said so far, I cannot be bested in a match of Duel Monsters by one so obviously unskilled as you, so why not make this match interesting? As it happens, I have gained exclusive knowledge of Keiko's whereabouts from my superiors, so if you should accept my wager I will gladly surrender this information to you, provided you defeat me in this match. But if I should win, you must surrender your entire dueling deck and offer your life service to me! Do you accept my terms, or do you simply wish to continue?"

For only an instant, there was a tiny spark of doubt in the detective's eyes, as both sides of the coin were objectively weighed. Until such time as he reached a decision.

"Weevil, I accept your wager. However, I am going to take you on your word for this, meaning that if you refuse to fulfill your side of the deal, I will not allow you to walk away from this duel alive. So if you'll excuse me, it's my main phase, so prepare to fall! I'll start this move by summoning my Kamikaze again in attack mode (2100/1050), followed by the activation of my trump card, Harpies Feather Duster, to demolish every magic and trap card on your side of the field!" Within an instant, a massive tornado shrieked forth from Yusuke's most powerful magic card and bore down upon the deadly combo that Weevil had set up. However, once the first strike upon the Magic and Trap zones had been accomplished, an even stronger wind leapt up in response to this attack, and in it's wake emerged a large stone clock, upon which was a blazing minute hand.

"Chain with Pyro Clock of Destiny! When activated, this trap moves the turn count forward by one unit, but any effects launched before the trigger still carry through. But since it is now my move, I am certainly not opposed to it." As Weevil drew his next card, his beady yes lit up once more. "I now activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards, followed by the activation of one of my most powerful cards, Heart of Clear Water, which I will equip onto my Cocoon of Evolution!" Within a second the goliath chrysalis diffused into a glowing teardrop of fused fire and water. "This equip card allows any monster with under 1300 attack points the safety of sacred water, preventing it from being destroyed in battle or by targeted effects, but damage is still dealt from an assault. For my next move, I will switch my Cocoon into attack mode, and my Princess into defense mode!" While the Cocoon did nothing, the Insect Princess crouched into a fetal position, placing it's wings around itself. "Surprised? Well, it will make much more sense when I activate this Magic card, Curse of Fiend, which alters the battle position of all monsters that are face up on the field!" The positions of Weevil's monsters returned to normal, while Raiden, Kamikaze, and the Poison Moth went into defense mode. "And just to make sure that your Raiden is no longer a problem, I'll activate my final magic card, Ring of Magnetism, which decreases the attack and defense of the equipped monster by 500 points, but forces the enemy to attack it instead of the other monsters! In this case, I will equip it onto my Cocoon of Evolution, meaning that you have no way of defeating my ultimate creature! And now, Insect Princess, destroy his Kamikaze with your devouring jaws!" With a fresh target in it's composite eyes, the powerful arthropod jumped into the sky and punctured the swordsman with twin claws, and in the process drew him into it's mouth. Once there, the warrior was slowly digested by the two fangs piercing the flesh until it seeped into the metabolic core of the monster. "Alright, Urameshi, I'll end my turn. But when I next move my Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth will emerge! This duel is over!"

New Paradigm Commerce District

It has been said that to simply look upon Hell is a punishment in its own right, to be dragged from Paradise a greater one still, and to actually _live_ mere inches away from either one is the closest thing to psychological damnation there is. For many that looked upon the hovering juggernaut that was New Paradigm and pined to become infused within it, that statement rang true. For those who actually lived on the outskirts, it had become a mantra of sorts.

Take Dr. Dean Kulyan, for instance. This was a prime example of a professional that suffered from the ailment that he worked with every day. He was a small time therapist who had fallen on hard times since moving away from his position as a Peruvian land owner at gunpoint. Upon his deportation by the military government of that time, Kulyan had decided to try his hand at psychological help, and so came to problem ridden Paradigm City, where his small practice gave him a degree of hope for his bleak future.. After a while he decided to take a sabbatical from his work and Paradigm City, and when he returned about 3 weeks later the entirety of his life was condensed down into the drafty mesh that they called his tent, whereupon he lived out his life until his disastrous practice in New Paradigm. With nothing else to occupy his time, Kulyan became an information tracker, and some say that nothing became known in New Paradigm without his involvement.

Which is an important factor in his demise.

"Now, give me the file, and you can be on your way."

Regardless of the lack of fiscal progress within the past few weeks, Kulyan had been initially unwilling to take this job, particularly from somebody outside of Paradigm jurisdiction. And although the client had agreed to offer him several thousand dollars in gold bullion, something didn't sit quite right about him. There was something odd about him, borderline on..._supernatural. _However, he had been given a quarter of the payment stated, which was reason enough to continue with the assignment.

But Kulyan had been around enough hucksters to know what to do in the situation at hand.

"Not yet. First cough up the rest of the gold."

Perhaps it hadn't been wise to demand the money right then, given the character's psychosis and his track record. But he was tired of playing the path of least resistance; it had been a living hell getting these documents from the military police, and the doctor had nearly been killed a dozen times. He wanted that money, wanted it more than anything, and his desire was clouding his judgment.

"I believe we had something of an agreement. You were to deliver the files on these people directly to me, and once they were in my hands, you were to get your payment. _Nothing beforehand. _Now give me the data before the situation gets ugly."

"Damn it, how do I know you won't walk out with the money and leave me dry?"

The client was not taking this conversation well, and it was obvious that he shouldn't piss him off.

"I gave you part of the money, as I recall."

Kulyan was also beginning to get aggravated, but he had no idea what he was getting himself in to. "I told you, I had to spend that gold on finding the files and paying off security! You're lucky I'm even giving you this shit after the hell you sent me into!"

"Alright, if you want the gold I will give it to you." And with that he flung a tiny item at the doctor, a gold cartouche.

"HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO USE THIS?!"

"It's not for you, exactly. It's your funeral decoration."

With a devil's speed, the client jumped forward and delivered a bone-shattering punch onto Kulyan, who was knocked backwards into his chair. He tried to get up, but was soon bound there by a golden aura.

"DAMN IT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Sending you to your final end." And with that the client extracted something from his pocket, a long, cordlike material. Upon doing this, he wrapped it around his hands and pulled it taut. It was then obvious that this man was deranged, but the full extent of his dementia was yet to be realized until he began to strangle him with the cord, and a thousand individual needles of pain dug into his throat.

Kulyan now knew he was being garroted with barbed wire.

The client himself was not in any pain he had yet to experience; in fact, he rather enjoyed the gurgling sounds of his victim as blood oozed out of his mouth, as each thorn burrowed into his flesh and sent rivulets of red ichor flowing between his fingers. It was a rather pleasurable sensation.

He held the position for several minutes, listening to the gruesome symphony as his target struggled with the coil around his neck, occasionally lashing out with his legs, until he finally stopped struggling and his final breath left him.

Now satisfied, the psychotic murderer picked up the manila folder which had caused so much trouble, and walked out, his sun-bleached hair standing on end as it flashed in the light, the tanned face showing no emotion in it's violet eyes. _They won't find the body for some time, and even if they do, the police don't have any evidence, for I have the murder weapon. _At this thought, the lunatic began to lick at the barbed wire, tasting his coppery blood mixing with the zinc in the cord. _And soon, Pharaoh, you too will know the full meaning of horror._

And so Yami no Marik stepped forth into New Paradigm.

Speakeasy Tavern

To say that Kaiba was shocked by Sango's impromptu display of affection is easily one of the largest understatements to grace this Earth.

For the better part of this time he was completely unable to move due to his outright astonishment, for nearly all of his allies over the years had never acted in such an unprofessional manner. Of course, there was only a handful of women that fell into this category, but it was rather unsettling nonetheless. Regardless, there was still a combination of emotions that hurtled through his mind at this point in some unholy array of anger, amazement, and the smallest level of pleasure. But as the vertigo wore off at an alarmingly swift pace, he came to a rather profound realization of that moment.

For a while after Sango finally removed her lips, neither spoke or even made the slightest gesture of emotion while the inherent awkwardness settled in. The two simply sat there and stared with no registration of what either felt, their earliest meeting now completely forgotten in this most heinous breach of relations. Yet after an excruciating moment, the demon slayer began to look anxious and worried, not unlike the expression of every spouse wondering whether or not their partner was about to die.

"Kaiba, as you can imagine I've got several unsettled issues with myself and my family. It's been over two years since my father was murdered, an attack which I myself barely walked away from, and of late I've become so discontented that I tried to walk away from my checkered past and make a new life in New Paradigm City. But after a while it occurred to me: why? Why am I trying to flee what I am, or used to be, and why did I so desire to get away from my family and friends? And then it struck me, after a long time, that maybe my old way of living was so fraught with despair that I would have abandoned everything else just to finally be at peace. But even here, in this city of the clouds, that peace continued to elude me."

"What's your point?"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that when I look at you, and study all that you've accomplished over the years, I kind of figured that perhaps this could be a fresh start for me. Maybe if we were with each other we could delete our pasts and walk away from this whole nightmare. I promise I'll help you destroy the bastard demon and his minions, after which we can put all of this behind us..." But even as she droned onward, Kaiba found an opportunity to interrupt.

"Minamoto, let's get a few things straight. I've actually tried to delete and gloss over my past, ancient and otherwise, but try as I might, the truth soon became lucid: none of us can deny our pasts completely, and we certainly can't flee from them. Also, from what I've seen and heard of you, it is rather obvious we cannot be together, due in part to your sudden increase in self pity. And even if I wanted to waste my valuable time in your presence, I have already fallen in love, and there is no way I will breach that trust."

"Are you talking about that blue-haired lunatic I've seen you with these past few days? Because if you are, you're wasting your time; she's even worse for you than I am!"

Kaiba's eyes now flashed with rage, but one that he was able to control in his voice.

"Don't refer to Botan as cruelly as you have just now. In fact, I would prefer it if you would just shut up completely from this point onward. I'll let you get the information you need on Hiei and Naraku, but after that we can go our separate ways."

"I don't want it to end like this, not at all. Just hear me out!" Another kiss came forth, but this time it was artfully dodged once Kaiba stepped out.

"For the love of God, Minamoto, have some dignity! I've never seen anyone act like such an idiot around me before!"

The slayer herself now stepped out into the street, but where once was deranged obsession now stood wild rage, as her own eyes flashed in response.

"MY NAME IS SANGO, YOU BASTARD! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ACCEPT MY FEELINGS WHEN I'LL BE HERE AND YOUR OTHER GIRLFRIEND WON'T?!

With Sango's latest outburst now out on the field, a new feeling was reborn in the duelist, one that he was not unfamiliar with. The demon exterminators were supposedly a powerful yet reserved race of people, and the Minamoto clan especially, but from what he had seen of their last surviving member this was not the case. Something must have triggered the sharp rise in lust and unrest that now made itself very clear before him, and Kaiba had a strong hunch that whatever was causing this was also linked to Sango's knowledge of the kidnapping, which had almost no witnesses to begin with.

One other present in the vicinity knew exactly what was going on...and it was exactly as she had planned.

"Alright, Sango, I've had enough of that mindless drivel that you've been vomiting at me these past few seconds, and I'm also starting to suspect you know a lot more about the situation then you've lead me to believe. So far, you've given me rather bizarre information relating to Botan's abduction, as well as a feud that, in my opinion, seems to be something that Hiei would only reveal to his innermost circle, judging from the lengths that he has gone to destroy Naraku over the years. Something else occurs to me as well: I know for a fact that Hiei has the Sennen Eye at his disposal, so it doesn't come as a surprise that he could track me down and attempt to kill me. And isn't it convenient that just as I am about to track him back to his base, who should appear but the only person with the knowledge capable of finding out _exactly_ how to locate his headquarters in New Paradigm! Admit it, you've been working for that bastard this whole time!"

But if there was one thing Seto Kaiba had any talent in discerning, it was how to exactly strike a nerve in anyone he met, and his strange form of skill had struck gold.

"HOW COULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT?! I'D NEVER EVEN CONSIDER _TALKING _TO HIEI, LET ALONE STOOPING TO HIS LEVEL OF ESPIONAGE! I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE RIGHT NOW AFTER EVERYTHING YOU DID TO ME!" And in a horrifying display of emotional breakdown, the once dignified warrior now collapsed onto the sidewalk in shambles.

"Very well, break down and humiliate yourself if you'd like, but I have a score to settle, and frankly I do not need your kind of lunacy weighing me down." Eyes of the coldest ice now turned away from the sobbing demon killer to the derelict old bar for which Paradigm City had become known. _An interesting place for a demon's spy to work. Even as I step closer to the decaying threshold my nostrils are overwhelmed with the odiferous reek of poorly made alcohol blending perfectly with the stench of sweat and blood. I can almost hear the vagrants spewing their garbage talk while they pour the little money they have into booze and prostitution, but if this is what it will take to get Botan back, then so be it. _And it was with this resolve that Kaiba crossed into the decrepit parlor.

He was expecting the contact to be higher up in the tavern, likely in one of the hotel rooms. But the guest book he passed had not been filled out in the past seven years, and there were only a few people around here anyway. Nothing of any particular interest caught his eyes, just a few pathetic hobos that were on the brink of alcohol poisoning as they guzzled down cheap bourbon. However, there was one gentleman in the bunch, a medium-sized Caucasian in a dusty tan overcoat, reading a yellowed newspaper while his right index finger was gangrenous from an infected paper-cut. His eyes were blank, however, his fingers no longer interested in shifting the pages to the next article to be read for the hundred-thousandth time, and a dribble of saliva hung unnoticed in his thin mustache. The stranger showed absolutely no signs of life at all, and showed the same interest in the multitude of flies now buzzing about his balding head.

This could not be Naraku's contact. This man was dead, and the puddle of coagulating blood that now rested at his feet only confirmed the fact.

_It seems that another of Hiei's agents got here before I could, either that or the informant could be elsewhere in the tavern. _But before he could even consider this option, another strange twist occurred. Well, it was actually not so much strange as disconcerting, for even as he stood near the corpse every bum in the place reached down into their various sacks for no apparent reason at all as the back door opened. Now absolutely certain that this had been a wasted effort on his part, Kaiba now decided to exit the flea-trap in which he had found himself, and would have had the next happenstance blocked his only exit.

There were three things in the city that the duelist could not stand: mobs, psychotics, and vagrants that fell into either of the two first categories. And right now, there was an entire bar of the third group that stood up and pointed various firearms at him, mostly military surplus, as well as black market technology.

"I am afraid I cannot let you walk out of here alive, Kaiba."

From the shadows in the back of the bar emerged a new threat, a strange old woman to whom the years had not been kind, barely taller than his brother Mokuba. "You can try to remove the threat of my soldiers, if you could call them that, but I'm fairly certain that your Sennen Rod could not control all of the men in this bar. And I am also sure that your Item could not control me. So even if you can defeat a few bums, you'll still lose this fight."

Kaiba, however, was not so much focusing on the hag's words as on the woman herself. She seemed oddly familiar, but he could not tell exactly who she was or even if she was human. Yet the gleaming Duel Gauntlet upon her left arm belied the truth her skill in dueling was champion material, regardless of her pompous bearing. Dueling skills notwithstanding, Kaiba still had no way of determining her identity, but he had a sinking feeling deep within his heart, and it occurred to him that perhaps he could use a bit of assistance.

This fear must have showed upon Kaiba's visage, as the older warrior chuckled under her breath.

"Relax, Kaiba. So long as you keep your hands where we can see them nothing will happen to you. Of course, I can't really say the same for your girlfriend that Hiei captured, but presuming you try an attack I'll bet you two will meet again in the Pit very soon indeed..."

"Alright you old bag, why don't you cut the shit and tell me what's going on here?"

"You certainly do have some issues, don't you? Regardless, I have been sent here for one reason and one reason only, to make sure that Seto Kaiba is destroyed once and for all, but in order to do that, I needed something else to draw you into the open. My original plan was to defeat you in a duel myself, but then after considering it, I decided to alter my plan so that Botan was captured; in this way, Hiei's public opponent could be removed from the picture permanently. And that is where you came in, Kaiba. Knowing that in your immense stupidity you would do anything to defend the first person who actually returned your feelings of love I sent Miroku to defeat you, and he did."

Although it took a second or so for the horrific meaning of these words to fully sink in, Kaiba soon realized what should have been obvious from the very beginning: his duel had been a set-up, a ploy to distract him long enough for Schwarzvald to fulfill his role in the affair. But something else didn't add up.

"Wait. If this is the case, how exactly was Minamoto able to see what happened? I'm assuming you and whoever funded this harebrained scheme wouldn't desire any witnesses for this kind of attack." Yet even as he spoke, the old hag now buckled in laughter, a gravelly yet irritating snicker that even made her own grunts hold their ears.

"You simply don't get it, do you? For a genius you certainly aren't too quick on the uptake: Sango was working for us the whole time! I needed someone to infiltrate your office and locate exactly what was so important on that computer of yours, someone who could gain your trust easily, as well as a person with a degree of emotional distress. And she fit the bill perfectly. But now that this little event is finished, I have something of a proposition for you. I am more than willing to release you into the city, since I myself am not exactly thrilled with Hiei's conduct over the years, if you can defeat my latest protege in a match of Duel Monsters. The winner will walk out of here relatively unscathed, while the loser...well, you'll find out soon enough."

"Fine. Then who will I be facing?" Kaiba, now curious to see who he was up against, turned towards the door...and his eyes landed right on Sango.

"I believe you have answered your own question, Seto Kaiba." (4000/4000)

Yami's Hotel Room

Nothing. It's an interesting word, isn't it? It can be a saint and a sinner, and sometimes both at once. Some may appreciate it as a relaxant, a way to simply unwind from the daily trials of human life; others bastardize it, calling the item a breeding ground for incompetence and sloth. Still others fear the term, for to these people, nothingness is a fearful place where the most horrifying avatars of the abyss wait to consume the souls of those unfortunate enough to be caught in it's iron-cast maw.

But for Yami no Yuugi, spirit of the Sennen Puzzle, nothingness was a godsend at that very moment, for even as he was with his only true love in over 5000 years, his mind no longer was preoccupied with the Sennen Items, the Shikon no Tama, or the ever-increasing threat of Hiei and quite possibly Naraku. The very fact that he was in a city floating miles above the rest of the world, or the fact that it was controlled by one of his most powerful enemies, hardly seemed relevant as he and Kagome continued to fall for one another, this time in the form of a tender yet passionate kiss that seemed to provide both light and eternal happiness for both parties involved. And if but for that one moment, there was nothing else; Hiei, Naraku, and even Spirit World seemed to burn away into insignificance in the flames of youthful passion. He didn't care anymore, and although he knew that such bliss could not last a lifetime, Yami was confident in the fact that this one moment could drag him for the rest of the tournament.

But there was still something, nagging in the back of his mind, almost _screaming_ to be heard as the destined pair grew more intense by the second. The voice seemed to have it's own tone, high-pitched and whining, not quite unlike that of a toddler who could miraculously utter coherent words. More often than not this was the one inner self that he restrained above all others, which is ironic considering the Heart of the Cards was born of this creature. It was the voice of his innermost Id, the one part of him bound not by logic or faith, but by sheer primal instinct. The Ego could not suppress it, and the Superego did not desire to.

The Id was telling him something, and he was sure it was not something he wanted to hear.

_It's rather strange, really. For the past two years, the dog Inuyasha had been in love with Kagome, but it was, for all purposes, a shaky and infidel love. After all, he had constantly flitted between her and the Priestess Kikyo during those years, and in either situation he expected, no, DEMANDED, the other woman to catch him when he fell to his knees. So with Kikyo still in the Feudal Era, is it at all possible that he will try to get Kagome back? Does he even deserve somebody as brilliant as her?_

"Yami?"

Kagome had been around enough people and seen enough strange happenstances during her baptism by fire in the Feudal Era to know when something was amiss in the world. She could sense something in his eyes, a sad kind of adoration, as though word had come to his ears that they were inches from death. But at the same time a spark of fear had become set up as well, and this was not too pleasing to her.

"Don't worry. It was nothing." And so the two continued from when they left off. _It really is nothing. Besides, I'm pretty certain that even if Inuyasha finds out about us, he can be civil about it. Let's just hope he's reasonable about this kind of thing; the last time I met the demon he seemed rather temperamental. But if it does come down to fighting the demon, I'll be ready for him; let's just hope that doesn't happen._

But within the Pharaoh's mind, another, much darker voice was stirring, a cruel resonance that made every hair on his arms and neck stand straight up.

_You'll find that those words are easier said than done._

Again, his eyes widened in shock, as another presence assimilated itself in the general vicinity. Its powers seemed to have a weak quality to them, but it was similar in effect to an overflowing dam in that the full power of what was contained could not be grasped until it's full release. Yet it was the general sensation of this new power that set off the most fear in him.

_This was the same feeling I had when I sensed Kagura earlier, but this time it seems to have a...purer...quality to it; it's as though her darkness was merely an aftereffect, a byproduct of this new enemy. And it's almost tangible, like it was in...this...very...room..._

Now completely disturbed, Yami broke the embrace in which he had found himself for some time now. There was nothing that he could visibly see that could have triggered such a reaction, but there was something here, something capable of this kind of power. "Kagome, can you sense anything...amiss?"

"Not really; in fact I feel perfectly fine."

But despite her reassuring words, the Pharaoh could still detect another dark presence within the room, and now he could clearly discern it's aura, in the form of a dark purple gas that blanketed the floor. In response, Yami invoked the powers of his Sennen Puzzle to see beyond mortal eyes, and peered deep into the shade that strangled the air.

And there he stood, a hellish new opponent, and although the two had never encountered one another before the ancient ruler knew his powers and name all too well.

"Naraku."

The demon himself was barely visible, and what could be seen was covered in a thick wolf hair shroud, with the dried skull serving as a mask, through which he could only see the eyes, and what a nightmare they were. The twin orbs of vision were clouded in hatred and malice, bloodthirsty and craving human flesh.

They were totally focused on Kagome's neck. And the Pharaoh saw their pathes.

"Leave her out of this, demon! You battle is with me!"

The monster spoke, in a deeper version of the murderous voice he had heard just seconds earlier. "I find that rather difficult to believe, spirit of the Puzzle. In fact, my conflict is mostly with the Priestess Kikyo, but I guess this one will have to do." And with this he extracted an archaic syringe and in one swift motion planted right below her skull, the liquid now pulsing into her until such time as she collapsed onto the floor again.

"What have you done to her?!"

"Relax, I still need her alive in order for this to work. You are actually fortunate, since had the dose been larger it would have forced her into a comatose state, but in this case it is merely a powerful sedative which can be reversed on my command. At any rate, I do need to have some form of discussion about our...alliance."

"You must think I'm insane! I've known people like you for years, Naraku, and I've seen what they are capable of doing to gain their ends! My guess is that you are merely going to lure me into some deranged scheme which will end with you wearing the Puzzle!"

"What we do beyond this small alliance is not exactly pertinent to our current situation. I am discussing the overthrow of our mutual enemy, Hiei Jagenshi."

_What?!_

"What are you talking about? How do I know that you and your sister aren't working for the lunatic and will surrender me to him? And why should I even agree to help you after the grief you put Kagome through?"

"Again you bring Higurashi into the discussion, even though I spared her puny life. But I do speak the truth when I say that I despise the Demon King as much as yourself, if not more so. And as for my sister, she was merely a test, a ploy to see exactly how powerful your Puzzle truly was. For if the full strength of the Tetsuaiga could not defeat her, I am not expected to believe that anything else could."

"All right, what is your offer?"

"I propose we combine our dueling skills to devastate Hiei and all of his minions, for as you may soon discover, I myself am a master duelist that has defeated countless others stupid enough to stand in my way. If you should succeed, Hiei would be destroyed and we could go our separate ways until we turn upon each other."

"And why should I accept?" But instead of answering Yami, the demon turned with a wicked grin towards Kagome's sleeping form.

"Higurashi certainly is quite pretty; I suppose you would be offended ever so slightly if something was to happen to her, wouldn't you?" With a flash of hatred in his maddened eyes, Naraku lifted up a sacrificial blade, and was just about to bring it crashing into Kagome's heart when a golden barricade of light knocked it aside.

"Touch her, and I swear on my family's souls that I will kill you here and now. I don't care if you are after Hiei with as much vigor as I; you're just as sadistic and twisted as he is, perhaps even more, if you would even consider stooping to his degree of low combat. Let me make one thing very clear, however; when you and I next duel I will rain the fury of hell upon you and all who dare to take your path."

"So be it. But before I exit, allow me to leave you with a parting gift of sorts, a small sample of my powers."

And in one swift motion the Pharaoh felt a searing pain flash in his gut, the type of pain that makes you desire the swiftest end to your life possible. And although it was not his desire to die yet, the powerful miasma was kicking in swifter then he could have imagined, and so he collapsed into a pool of blood, his own blood, yet before he blacked out he saw a strange woman walking towards him, and although he had never seen her before her name rang in his ears.

_Kikyo..._

Inuyasha vs. Yoko Kurama

"Again, I must give you my undying gratitude, half-blood. Very few, if any, have ever defeated me once my Fiber Jar was activated. Once this my rarest monster has it's effect triggered, all players are forced to shuffle their hand, graveyard, and every card on the field into their deck, and from this deck draw a fresh hand of five cards. What this basically means is that the duel has reset itself, with the exception of life points and anything removed from play. But since it is still your turn and you have already summoned, you have nothing left to defend your life points from a direct attack!"

It was with outright terror that Inuyasha looked again upon his fresh hand, and nearly choked when he saw that they were almost all monsters. "Alright, I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Another card drawn by Yoko, and his eyes lit up when he saw the card.

"I'll start this move by placing three cards face down on the field, and then summoning my Vampire Orchis to the field in attack mode!" From the center summoning zone rose Yoko's latest monster, a giant elm wood tree that sported brilliant green eyes and a fanged mouth, while several of it's branches gave home to other such orifices. (1700/1000) "The special effect of the Orchis states that I am allowed to special summon 1 Des Dendle from my hand to the field. I will activate the Union effect of these two creatures, allowing the Dendle to become an equipment magic on the Orchis!" A second plant monster assimilated onto the field, this time a conglomeration of spores that collected onto the roots of the Vampire Orchis, while several of these spores sprouted into hefty barbed vines. (300/2000) "Now, I will activate the first face down card I played, Horn of the Unicorn, to pump up the attack and defense of my vampiric flora by 700 points." The final card he activated was a long, electrical horn that planted itself into the head of the possessed tree. (2400/1700) "Vampire Orchis, direct attack!"

"Not so fast! I activate the Trap card, Skull Dice!" As Inuyasha activated his only face down card, an impish looking demon burst out of the trap, holding a blood-red skull in it's hands. "During the turn that the Skull Dice trap is activated, the attack strength of all monsters on your side of the field are divided by the result of one roll of the die. Activate!" As the fiend released the die, Yoko began to scan his available card pool, searching for a way to take down the mutt before him.

_Although the Skull Dice had the capability to cut the attack strength of my monsters severely, it will only be a one turn effect, and unless he can somehow prevent my Orchis from attacking me, all of his monsters will be at my mercy. In the meantime, I'll just have to hope the attack will go through relatively intact._

The red die began to slow down, as various numbers passed by, until it landed flush on 4. "DAMN IT!!!"

"Sorry, Yoko, but that reduces the attack of that overgrown weed down to a measly 600." The demonic tree seemed almost to age into a stump of it's formal self , and the attack ended in a mere splash on the dog's chest. (2900/1600)

"Fine. I too will end my turn. But rest assured I will not be bested by a pathetic half-demon like yourself!" As his turn came to a close, the Orchis returned to it's original height and malevolence, as well as attack strength.

"Fine, it's my move again! First off, I'll summon Ninja Master Sasuke in attack mode!" Another one of Inuyasha's powerhouses emerged, a tall ninja warlord bound in silver armor and wielding five miniature blades in his right hand. (1800/1000) "Then, I will activate the Magic card, Ax of Despair, to boost his attack strength by 1000 points!" In what was once the Ninja's empty left hand was now a hellish looking axe, the skull of which was facing Sasuke. (2800/1000) "Sasuke, attack the Vampire Orchis!" The warrior took this command to heart and ran full speed at his latest target, while at the same time tossing the set of knives it held to impale the creature. Neither monster nor duelist, however, expected the Des Dendle to take the brunt of the attack, leaving the Orchis with only a tiny scar. "What?!"

"Please tell me you know the effect of Union monsters, Inuyasha. Each time any monster that is equipped in a Union would be destroyed, the equip monster takes the hit instead. But I am afraid that it will only get worse when I activate my face down cards, Curse of Pain and Rush Recklessly! The effect of Rush Recklessly increases the attack of any monster by 700 points, and I choose your Ninja Master to boost it's strength to 3500! Why would I perform such a tactic, you ask? Well, when Curse of Pain is activated, it allows me to transfer any life point damage I take this turn onto the enemy player, meaning that you lose 1100 life points!" (1800/1600)

_Okay, I'm knee deep in shit this time. Let's just hope he doesn't pull off anything like that again. _"I end my turn by placing one card face down. Your move, psycho bitch."

"Very well, it's my move, and I think you'll like what I'm about to do. I summon an old acquaintance of yours, the Tribe-Infecting Virus!" Once more the cloud of viral death emerged, ready to strike upon command. (1600/1000) "This duel is over, Inuyasha. Once I activate the effect of my Tribe-Infecting Virus you'll have nothing to defend you from my attack by the Vampire Orchis, which has more than enough attack points to end this pathetic charade of yours once and for all. Now my plague, I offer up one card from my hand to trigger your special effect and destroy every Warrior-type monster on the field!" The dreadful beast which had redefined germ warfare rained down upon the Ninja, instantly clawing into the flesh and driving him to the point of insanity, up to the point where the agony was so great that it tore open it's chest cavity with the ax it wielded and extracted it's very heart. It then threw the muscle onto the ground, while it slowly pumped out the last of the blood until it finally stopped beating. "Now, Vampire Orchis, direct attack!" But even as it prepared to launch it's assault and end the match, a black moon appeared on the field and shrouded the Orchis, until it was revealed that it had gone into face down, and thus destroying the Horn of the Unicorn that empowered it.

"I activated my face down card, Book of Moon! It allows me to flip one monster on the field into face down defense position, preventing it from attacking this turn!" _Strange, isn't it? The one object on Earth that could make me weak is the single device that saves my ass from defeat._

"Damn you, Inuyasha! However, you still have my virus to contend with! Tribe-Infecting Virus, direct attack!" Now prepared to take over where the Orchis had failed, the buzzing pestilence hurled itself forward, burning into Inuyasha like no other sickness could, and in the process cast away with everything but a few measly life points. (200/1600) "I will end my turn there, but on my next move I shall be able to crush any hopes you have of winning, so say goodbye to the tournament forever!"

"We'll see about that, Yoko! It's my move, and I activate the card I just drew, Pot of Greed, to draw two cards, followed by the activation of one of those cards, Graceful Charity! This is another drawing card, which will allow me to draw 3 cards, but I must then discard any two from my hand!" And as he stared at the cards he kept, he realized his victory was within reach. "Yoko, it's over. I'll start by activating the first Magic card I gained, Hammer Shoot, to destroy the face up monster with the highest attack power on the field, which would be your Virus." The Virus was instantly paralyzed as the Magic card activated and a giant hammer crashed down on it. "Next, I will play this magic card, Cost Down, to decrease the levels of all monsters in my hand by two at the price of any card from my hand. Finally, I will summon one of the monsters that the Cost Down decreased, the monster known as Maximum Six!"

The final monster that the demon would play stood about ten feet tall, with gray skin and a topknot that pulled back at the sable hair that the humanoid possessed. The entire creature was bound in muscle, even the six arms that seemed taut like a crossbow, ready to fire. (1900/1700) "The special effect of this creature allows me to roll one die whenever it is normal summoned, and the result is multiplied by 200 and added to this creature's base attack points." _Alright, if this plan is going to work, I need to roll at least a 4 on this. And it doesn't seem likely that I'll get a second chance at this; knowing Yoko he probably has a counterstrategy all planned out for his next turn. _And so it was with anxious eyes that the dog demon and fox demon watched the die scatter about, bouncing around the grass walls, until it finally came to stop at5.

"YES! Now my Maximum Six gets a 1000 point boost!" Five of the monster's six arms, in response to the roll, grew black with a previously untapped power and a muscle-enhancing effect not dissimilar to steroid injections. (2900/1700) "And now to end this duel using the Magic card, Fairy Meteor Crush! It allows the monster that wields it to inflict damage to the opponent whether or not the monster is in defense mode."

"NO!!!"

"NOW, MAXIMUM SIX, DESTROY HIS FACE DOWN VAMPIRE ORCHIS WITH MULTIPLE HAYMAKER!!!" Upon the second command, the primitive warrior leapt forward and brought all six arms onto the face down card, and once it was dragged out pummeled it in a whirlwind of punches until it exploded, knocking down Yoko as it happened. (200/0)

Now that the duel was over, Inuyasha now saw fit to confront Yoko Kurama and take what was his. Luckily the Fiber Jar and tournament key he had just won were near his feet, and all he had to do was pick them up. However, there was something else he needed, something that he really doubted the other demon could provide.

"It's not possible. How could a mere half-demon have bested me?"

"Frankly, Yoko, I don't really care how I did it, and I also don't give a flying fuck whether or not you walk away from this museum on your feet or in a body bag. So I'm simply going to ask you a few questions, and maybe we can settle this like civilized demons." But as his ultimatum was laid, the fox demon began to chuckle, as though he had finally gone into dementia.

"Go ahead, Inuyasha. Kill me, if you truly think that will help. After this there is nothing I'll desire more than death."

"What are you blathering about?"

"You simply don't get it, do you? This wasn't an isolated incident here; in fact, at least three others of your party have run into members of my master's army. All of the duelists that failed were either gruesomely violated or murdered, and even I, one of the master's chief lieutenants, will not be spared his unholy wrath.

"Do you really expect that merely threatening me will convince my mind that I will surrender? If that is the case then you are even more dimwitted then I could ever have grasped..."

"SHUT UP!!!" And with one almighty punch Inuyasha sent the Demon King of Thieves crashing through the wall of grass he had set up and into the concrete wall. "Maybe threatening you wasn't enough, Yoko. Perhaps I should give you a real sample of my power!" Now reaching to the long katana that stood constantly at the ready, the dog warlord prepared to send his enemy into oblivion.

The sword itself, on first inspection, was not at all impressive. The blade was banged up and rusted, while the edge itself was dulled from years of abuse. But much like the swordsman who wielded it, the deadly sword from his father's tooth contained a secret force whose power was not to be beheld by the weak at heart, for upon the sword's full removal it transformed itself into a massive fang-like halchion, shining as though it was fresh cast. As if that wasn't imposing enough, a handful of demons could see a tiny swirl of wind surrounding the blade.

That swirl was the Windscar, servant of the sword Tetsuaiga.

"Perhaps my father's remains could teach you some respect for the half-demon race, Yoko."

"Hm, I highly doubt you would even consider killing me now, Lord Inuyasha."

"And why is that?"

"Because I know where Kagome Higurashi is, and I also know where the Pharaoh Atemu that stole Kikyo from you years ago."

To Be Continued

Whew. Finally finished. Sorry for the late update; I was in Florida for over a week.

Ok, next time Kaiba and Yusuke continue their duels, with Yusuke finishing his. Kagome gains a Duel Gauntlet, Kachikachi delivers a warning to the Pharaoh, and Inuyasha deals with Yoko. Also, Hiei finally confronts Botan on her crimes. At the same time, Kikyo and Yami have their first encounter in over 5000 years, but how will her incarnation take it?

Remember, READ AND REVIEW!!!


	29. Wrath of the Black Shadow

Disclaimer: What's the point?

Alright, in our last venture into this tale, Naraku and Yami finally confront each other regarding their hatred of Hiei, while Yusuke is about to face the most powerful Insect monster in the game. Kaiba, meanwhile, was tricked into a duel with the traitorous Sango, while Genkai returned to operate the event. And during this insanity Yami no Marik returned to mete out his perverse brand of justice.

Chapter 29 finally ends Yusuke's duel with Weevil, and begins the conflict between Sango and Kaiba. At the same time, Kachikachi arrives before the Pharaoh to deliver a message, but not before Kikyo gets to him first. Hiei also deals with the rebellious Botan in his own sadistic way, and explains to her why he has decided to turn to the darkness, while Yoko reveals to Inuyasha all that has gone on since last he and Kagome ran into one another.

Let's begin this tale!

Chapter 28: Wrath of the Black Shadow

Yusuke vs. Weevil

_Alright, I've made it this far without being destroyed, and now that my monsters are free to attack, he'll have no way of stopping my monsters. But as long as his Cocoon is equipped with Ring of Magnetism and Heart of Clear Water, I'll be completely unable to stop the summoning of his ultimate creature. And once his Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth is on the field, none of my monsters will stand a chance. I might, however, have a way to take down his strategy; it'll take some luck to get the cards I need, but if I play it right, I should be able to stop his ultimate moth and any hopes he has of winning..._

Of course, this was one of the very few strategies of the Spirit Deck that Yusuke had never fully mastered; in fact, nobody except for Genkai had ever even put it into play successfully. Regardless, however, the conditions were almost perfect for him to attempt this combination strategy, and all he needed to do was draw the final pieces to this sordid puzzle.

And here it was, the one card in this match that could make or break him. The Poison Moth may have drained some of his life points, but he was about to take all of Weevil's. (2300/3200)

"I activate the Magic card, Left Arm Offering! In exchange for discarding my entire hand right now, I am allowed to add one Magic card from my deck to replace it, and I know just which one to use. Now for part two of my ingenious plan, the Magic card, Card of Sanctity, which as you probably guessed lets us both fill our hands up with six cards from the deck, meaning I'll get a fresh shot at your bony ass!" His quips notwithstanding, the detective still knew all too well that the odds of him drawing the right components for his ultimate attack were slim to none. Yet his practice with Yugi and Joey had taught him one thing: the only way, in a tight spot, to escape defeat was to put your confidence into the war machine you had designed. And so he drew the final six cards, and knew that the end was near.

"I'll start this last move by activating the Magic card, Double Spell, which will allow me to add one Magic card from my graveyard into my hand, in exchange for discarding another Magic. Next, I will activate the Magic card I returned, the Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards." _Excellent. Now that I've gotten everything I needed, it's time to show this little grub what a real duel is..._

"I now activate Reign of the Medium! When activated, this card allows me to special summon one Spirit Monster from my Graveyard, and allows all Spirit Monsters to be special summoned as long as it remains face up on the field, so for one last time I'll call upon the power of the Kamikaze!" Once more the golden warmonger stepped up from the grave, but this time staggered onto the field, as though worn down from it's constant use in the conflict.

"HA! What good will that archaic barbarian do against me? The monster has only 2100 attack points, making it easy prey for my legendary goliath once it is called upon!" But as Weevil began to laugh at the once vigorous Spirit, the creature tramped between the Poison Moth and his suzerain Raiden, and began to mumble beneath his breath. "What is he doing?!"

"The Kamikaze is simply offering a prayer for his fallen comrades, and at the same time asking forgiveness of his king, for I am about to activate his special effect! I'm allowed to sacrifice any number of monsters on my side of the field besides Kamikaze, and in exchange I can destroy the same number of monsters on your field. And since you made a special point of giving me the Poison Moth, I can use that as tribute! KAMIKAZE, TWIN SWORDS OF BUSHIDO!!!" With a barely suppressed expression of guilt, the lightning swordsman cut open the torsos of his fellow warriors, and from each laceration drew blood until each katana was dripping in the fluids. Once this was accomplished, the samurai placed an amulet upon each corpse, and charged head on towards the enemy, and swung both blades through the insects until they were cut into quarters of their former selves. "Now that those monsters are out of the way, it's time for me to end this duel. I summon Yata Garasu in attack mode!"

Weevil had heard stories about the game-shattering power of the Eight Giant Crows from several duelists that had been on the receiving end of it in tournaments before, but the card itself was so extremely rare that he had never seen it in use against himself. But the menacing bird from the depths of Hell that the others had spoken of did not match the pathetic creature that stood before him, an oversized blue raven whose yellow eyes darted to and fro as to protect itself from the wrath of other monsters. (200/100)

"THIS IS YATA GARASU?!"

"Don't be fooled by it's size, Weevil; when played in just the right way my monster can end duels instantly, especially when I activate the Magic card known as

Transfusion! Once I torch a Spirit monster in my hand, I can choose one of two effects, and in this case, I'll ditch my Asura Priest to boost it's attack by 1700 points!" Around the demon's neck emerged a golden charm that caused the tips of it's wings to gain a razor edge. (1900/100) "Yata Garasu, direct attack!" Now fully capable of moving in on the enemy, Yata sent a bolt of electrical wind crashing into Weevil's life points, while at the same time puncturing his deck with a golden crow's beak. (2300/1300) "And I probably should mention that every time my Yata Garasu inflicts damage onto your life points, you must skip your next draw, so I'll end my turn by placing one card face down, and activating my two magic cards, Mystic Break and Secret Break, which forces both players to discard every magic and trap in their hands! Take it, Underwood."

_No! How could I have lost?! It's simply impossible! Wait! I still have my Insect Soldiers of the Sky from a few turns ago, so if I summon that his Yata Garasu will be at my mercy!_

But Yusuke had other plans.

"I hope you weren't counting on that Insect Soldiers card to get you out of this mess, for I still have my face down card, Drop Off, which allows me to discard the only card you have left in your hand, and since you have nothing to defend you and no way to draw, I'll win this duel on my next move!"

"DAMN YOU, URAMESHI!!!"

"I'll take that as my move, then, and it's time I finished this! Yata Garasu, direct attack!" Another bolt of thunder rained out from it's beak, and Weevil was unable to take the onslaught any longer. (1800/0) "The duel is mine, Underwood."

"YEAH!!! Awesome match, man!!!"

"Thanks, Joe. Now, as for you..."

"What are you talking about, Urameshi?!"

"You heard me the first time, and it was your idea. Now cough up your keys and Insect Princess and I'll be on my merry way."

"No! I can't do that, you inbred boob! If I lose this duel I lose everything else! Just take one of my keys and my rarest card and be done with it! My superiors do not take failure kindly at all, and my true masters are as deranged as they come!!!"

"Sorry, Weevil, but if you roll with pigs, you'll get messed up." And with that the exiled detective snatched up his well-earned prize, upon which the bug duelist collapsed into a dead faint.

"Ah, cut the melodramatic crap, Weevil. It's not like you haven't been whipped by a better duelist before. Besides, I still need you conscious if you're going to tell me where Keiko is."

"No way, Urameshi!!! I've already lost the duel and my place in the tournament, and there is no way I'll upset my master further!"

"Really? I find that hard to believe, given that people like you are kind of prone to living. But if you really want to die I could arrange it." Even before the spirit energy began to amass in Yusuke's finger, however, Weevil decided it was best not to annoy this one either.

"Alright, I'll talk, but I'll need some promise of protection first or I won't say a word..."

But from another viewpoint, it seemed that Weevil wasn't about to talk anyway.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Underwood."

From the same general direction that the new voice was coming from darted a strand of shimmering thread that lashed forth of it's own volition, and in it's turn began to lash about searching for its target. Unable to locate the ultimate prey, the whip of light decided to vent it's frustrations on Weevil Underwood_._

"Master Sesshomaru?!"

"I really do have to apologize for my warmonger's actions here, but I am sorry to report that Weevil will not be answering any more questions. And if you even consider pointing that finger at me, Urameshi, let me assure you that it will be lying on the dirt before you can even extend it. As for you, Wheeler, my master does indeed send his condolences for your torment...as well as a hearty laugh for your troubles."

"Alright, ya punk, why don't you step out and fight like a man?! I don't care if your game is a duel or a rumble, but I'll take you down either way!"

Sesshomaru, still unperturbed by Weevil's loss, stepped into the sunlight, eyes beginning to show irritation. "I have no interest in battling you, Wheeler, and you would have about as much chance as a baboon of defeating me in a duel. And now to deal with something of much more importance." As if on cue all five of the lashes of light wrapped around Weevil, and spikes began to jut out and gore the duelist.

"Please, Master! Have mercy!"

"Are you serious? You are beyond my pity." And with that the bug soldier was drawn and quartered, spilling fresh blood onto the ground. "I will see you at the finals, gentlemen. Just pray that neither of you have to face me before then." So saying, the demon began his journey back to home base.

Interrogation Chambers, aboard the _Des Volstgulph_

3250 individual cinder blocks, 32 layers of lead lined mortar, about 200 marble tiles on floor and ceiling combined, six closed circuit cameras, 10 hidden gun chambers, and a computer monitor built into the wall.

Botan had just spent the last two hours making an inventory of the cramped interrogation room in which Schwarzvald had forced her, trying to locate a weakness in the unattractive walls of brick and plaster that now served as her personal prison cell until she either cracked underneath torture or was killed in some gruesome way. The computer that operated the entire ship could possibly be accessed via this modem, but she had neither the strength nor opportunity to get there. Hiei had made it particularly clear that she was not to be given any access to the network or any poisons that should have the ill fortune of falling into her hands, and even now she could feel the electric cable that had been knotted around her wrists and ankles start to chafe away at her soft skin. Granted, the odds were that the sedative she was force fed would soon kick in, so it was of little consequence anyway.

The taste of the reaper's own blood was still thick in her mouth, resounding with a bitter tang but not quite as astringent as her own self-hatred. For months she had managed to escape the manic demon that had haunted her nightmares like some kind of devilish specter, laughing constantly as his own people were enslaved and abused; on his own command, no less. The flesh of children had become a delicacy at the dining hall of Spirit World, and the souls of the dead were now merely puppets for the monsters who ruled over them. But worst of all was the fact that the human race was about to suffer a horrendous Armageddon, for once the Black Shadow took control of the tournament he would go after everybody else who dared stand in his way. Yugi, Yusuke, and Kaiba may have been powerful duelists when squaring off against small-time enemies, but they were dealing with a power beyond their understanding. She had seen Hiei take down world-class champions in only a few turns, and the others she had seen...and those she cared for the most...would be steamrollered by the time any of them reached the final round.

_Seto, I know you and your deck as though I had been with you for years, but I doubt even the ultimate duelist on Earth could topple the full power of the Chaos Emperor Dragon, the Envoy of the Apocalypse. The Egyptian God Cards themselves could not defeat it, and knowing Hiei he will probably kill you for trying to stand against him. I've lost too many people in my life to count: my father, my brothers, almost all of the Spirit Detectives. But it's worse this time, much worse, because I have something with you I've never had before; it's like nothing I can describe, but if you leave, I just couldn't handle it._

No one could possibly handle having their first true love stripped from them...

And something happened, an event rather unexpected given circumstances. For the first time in three years, Botan was weeping silently, unable to grasp the thought of having Kaiba killed because of her stupidity.

"Do not do this to me, bitch; I simply have too much to handle right now to control my vomit."

In the shadows of the chamber, hidden mostly except for his feet, tapping in irritation, was the monster himself, left hand wrapped around the glowing set of Sennen Scales and what could only be the Shikon no Tama hanging around his neck.

"You murdering piece of shit. Why don't you step out into the light like a real man?"

Hiei, who was obviously humored by this comment, decided to enter the dim lamp's range and reveal his true identity. "Well, you are reminding me more and more of the jackass Kuwabara everyday, in idiosyncrasies and inanity alike. Luckily for him, the ningen dog is not quite as repulsive as you are, so that is one thing in his favor."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE OTHERS?! I KNOW THEY'RE NOT DEAD YET!"

"Well, you certainly are not as large a moron as I thought, but then I guess dealing with the dead, intimately or otherwise, has give you some idea of what goes on in this world. But I have much bigger plans for the shattered remnants of the Reikai Tantei then you could ever imagine. The buffoons we met in our conflict with Sensui are, as you know, long since murdered by Kachikachi, Kurama is under the hypnotic control of his feral counterpart, and Genkai is under my thumb thanks to a good buddy of mine called blackmail."

"What about Kuwabara? And Yusuke?"

Hiei's eyes glinted as though he was about to be awarded the Nobel Prize. "Ah yes, interesting cases, the both of them. Urameshi, the only member of our old gang still unaccounted for, is currently in the Hellfire Tournament, and doing a splendid job, I might add. Of course, he is not quite as skilled as his friends Yugi and Joey, but he has proven himself twice now. Kuwabara, however, is working for me as we speak, of his own free will."

The full magnitude of the demon's words were lost on Botan for a moment before they sank in.

"There is an interesting story behind his servitude. The poor fool was heartbroken after that fascist man-whore Koenma decided it in his best interests to publicly execute Yukina, and decidedly bolted away from his servitude. It was a rather wise choice on his part, but it was difficult to track him down afterwards. But we found him, all right: just about to hang himself from the highest point of the old Black Black Club's mansion, and I knew that if you got to him first he wouldn't be any use to me. So I talked him down and made him an offer he could not refuse. If he elected to serve me until the Pharaoh's demise, I would resurrect Yukina and allow her to marry him with my blessing, and if not, I would personally extract his lungs through his throat. For obvious reasons he complied, and I soon had an army of warriors capable of attaining the power of the gods for me."

"So what do I have to do with this?"

"Both ugly and stupid, a nauseating combination. You remember as well as I do that rather obtrusive disregard for my laws several months ago, when you saw fit to carve at my face with the Soul Blade that your weakling father decided to bestow upon you at his deathbed. But that isn't the only reason for capturing you and your compatriots. I still need you in one piece long enough for the arrogant bastard Kaiba to try and rescue you from an untimely demise, never realizing that you will simply not be allowed to die in my base. I have far too much to deal with right now with you humming about, so I'll let him come here for you...and I'll rip out his still-beating heart myself."

"Hiei, I'm begging you, leave Seto out of this!"

"Ah, so you _have_ finally found someone who is not repulsed by your grotesque appearance. But he is only one enemy for me to contend with; I still need to destroy Urameshi and bury my past with the Reikai Tantei once and for all. And of course, we cannot forget the High Priestess Kikyo; even now one of my most powerful duelists is about to do battle with her and the Pharaoh. Finally we have the frosting on the cake, for I will take great pleasure in torturing the dog demon Inuyasha, the foolish mortal Joey Wheeler, and that hapless negotiator whom Seebach despises so much. Naraku and Dartz are naught but speed-bumps now that I have gathered all of my enemies in one place, like despondent infants soon to be devoured by the greatest of predators! And you will have the most fun of all of them, Botan: I am going to let you watch it all on this computer, and you can view every second, as I personally disembowel the ones who care about you the most, as I flay them alive and make their skins into overcoats for all of my loyal servants, and as I gorge and grow obese on the raw flesh of Seto Kaiba and Yusuke Urameshi! How do you like that, you bitch?! _HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?!_"

The demented grin on Hiei's face was starting to wear away at Botan's nerves, his horrible crimson eyes flaring up with a hatred and insanity that she had not seen in a long time, not since the grisly beheading of his only flesh and blood. Even so, the psychosis of this madman was overwhelming, much more so than the first time she had locked eyes on him.

_What happened to you, Hiei? I knew that you weren't exactly psychologically stable in the best of times, and when you went full demon you were as deranged to a degree none of us had seen before, but this is on a whole other level entirely. Who did this to you; what sick fuck is responsible for this?_

"You certainly ask a lot of questions for an inbred simpleton, but since you are soon to be damned anyway, I may as well answer them. You see, there is no grandiose villain to whom I am bound, no maniacal puppet-master pulling my strings. I started this route of my own free will, and I continue on it throughout my existence. Unlike you, I believe that no matter what the situation, my punishment for my deeds is based on my level of raw power. I am my own god, and soon I will be the god of all those pathetic little drones. They will all know the power of my dragons, and by the time anyone realizes it, I will be the supreme master of the earth, and no one will be able to stop me, not even you."

The dementia took on a harsh pitch as Hiei picked out a bottle of his favorite wine from the refrigerator nearby. It was a deep red, almost black, merlot, from a special field in Tuscany that boasted some of the purest grapes and wineries on the planet. Each bottle was specially made to order, and aged just the right way so that the natural dry tang was exquisitely enhanced. But the company was best known for the bottles in which they held the alcohol, for each was made from an ages-old glass formula that resulted in a rainbow of colors if looked at properly.

"You know, Botan, I sometimes like to equate you to this bottle of merlot right here. Not the wine, of course, for if you were an alcohol you would be second-rate mouthwash. I am talking of the bottle itself; as long as I've had the displeasure of knowing you, I could not help but notice your wearisome attitude. You were constantly screwing up in your duties, grating all of the others with your high-pitched squeaking and chronic absentmindedness, but I alone saw something different, something frightening. I saw what might have been a powerful bushido spirit, a contained leviathan cloaked in bad puns and annoying sayings. And despite the ever-burgeoning desire to lop off your head every time I laid eyes on you, I wanted to prove that theory. But you did that for me when you assaulted me in my own office, and now that I look at you I now know the truth: you are nothing but a glass menagerie. Behind all of the appearances, the quality, or lack thereof, and all the warrior spirit, you are fragile, weakened by the loss of your family over the years. And like a menagerie..."

Now completely high on his own demonic adrenaline, Hiei saw fit to smash the bottle against her face, making sure that each shard of glass dug into the flesh and punctured veins. Slowly pressing the shattered bottle into her cheek, the demon began to lick at the rivulets of blood flowing like tears down her face, on occasion twisting the splintered glass so that a river gushed out.

"You are too easily broken."

What happened next, however, was completely unexpected, for as each splinter dug deep into her skin, Botan began to smile; not in her own silly way, but a sincere smirk.

"We'll see who's easily broken, Hiei. You may have been able to get this far, but as long as Seto keeps believing in his deck, he cannot lose. I realize this now, and I should have known that from the very beginning. Besides, in a few short moments I'll be out of this dump, and before you know it I'll be charging the steps to your armory with murderous vengeance." Suddenly, out of her left sleeve dropped an empty syringe, hidden from Hiei's trained eye by God knows what.

It reeked of bitter almonds.

"NO!!! I CANNOT LET YOU DIE!!!"

"You're too late, you bastard. I only have a few seconds to live, and by the time any of your thugs back in Spirit World get the message I'll be long gone."

"You planned this the entire time, didn't you?"

The poison was indeed as swift as promised, and soon her eyes...and her soul...were dropping into the abyss.

"Bingo."

And so ended the life of Botan, the Grim Reaper, having once again pulled wool over Hiei's eyes.

New Paradigm Hotel, Sick Ward

_So, this is what it's like to be truly dead._

Yami no Yuugi had never directly come into contact with miasma before, so he was hardly able to suspect that it was simply a powerful hallucinogen at its most distilled level. He had still been lucky, however; even with the weakness of the gaseous toxin and the fact that Naraku no longer held any jewel shards, he had come the closest to death since his sealing inside the Sennen Puzzle. And right at that moment every nerve in his body had gone completely numb, and his legs, arms, and eyes were fully debilitated.

Yet his mind was completely awakened at that point, and the horrific experience with his new demon enemy had put it into high gear.

_Naraku himself said that his main conflict was with the Priestess Kikyo, and that Kagome would have to do in the meantime. But there is something else going on here, for as far as I could tell Kagome had no shard of the Jewel upon her person, so something else must be driving this madman on. It could be revenge against Inuyasha, or his conflict with Hiei, but one thing is for certain: as long as that murderer walks this earth there is no way for anyone to live in peace. Yet something else rang sour in that meeting, for instead of simply killing Yugi and I, Naraku merely gave us a flesh wound. So if this is true, then the half-demon must also be after the power of the Puzzle, likely to obtain that jewel that Hiei now lays claim to._

This silent pondering had begun to wear on the Pharaoh's diminished strength, and for a few minutes he dropped into a level of unconsciousness. But this was a fleeting sleep, for his ears had begun to pick something up, from eons beyond the pit in which the mind had found itself. It was a faint sound, barely audible, yet the effect of it was still there.

It was the sweet, harmonious sound of singing. And it was growing louder by the second.

Throughout all of his years, Yami had never once heard such an amazing melody, not even during his reign as Pharaoh of Egypt, and the dulcet tune was slowly starting to bring him into physical coherence. But the song itself was rather unusual, and despite his proficiency in several languages he could understand none of the words. It was a soothing composition nevertheless, with a timbre that was mellifluous yet vaguely sensual, but at the same time underlined with sadness, as though the artist had undergone years, if not decades, of endless suffering and hardship. Atem was drawn to the voice in a way he could not begin to describe, and under this wonderful feeling of vertigo he opened his eyes.

Nothing was there, or at least nothing remotely capable of creating the musical ambrosia in which he had just indulged. Merely tiles and medical equipment, and on occasion some assistant passing out medication. Yet regardless of the scene's calm serenity he could still sense something massive bearing down upon him, a dark mystery that he was either too afraid to stare in the eye or could simply not understand. But as his magenta eyes traveled from bed to bed searching for the answers, they both landed on the one thing that was out of place.

In the corner nearest his feet was a composite bow, with a quiver of black-tipped arrows not too far from it, around which was coiled a disgusting looking white serpent. The snake had a strange draconic quality to it, with six insect-like claws emerging near the head, while it drew a glowing orb of light towards the far end of the room. It was a creature he had only heard of, in fairy tales as a small boy.

_Soul Gatherers, the familiars of the living dead!_

These relatively obscure demons had, in ages past, been used by reapers to collect the souls of those who refused to move into the afterlife willingly, but about 1000 years before Yugi and the others were born they had been consigned to serve the highest ranked of spirits that were damned to walk the earth. They would be used as collectors who would gather lost souls for the spirit to feed on, for these people required the soul blood of the dead to survive. He had seen cousins of the creatures in his portion of the Shadow Realm, but this breed of fiend was supposedly wiped out by Shinobu Sensui 14 years beforehand while he was still legit. So whoever the monstrosity was that worked with the things must have been able to dodge the psychotic detective, either that or had come to this realm from an entirely different time period, but that was impossible.

Unless...

It was nearly too unfeasible to be true, and considering the fact that Hiei and his army of subordinates had gone to great lengths to erase all forms of enemy, the odds themselves were indeed as close to truly impossible as one could get. But if what Yami suspected was in fact the reality of the situation, then he was either in critical danger or in one of the best positions he had ever been in.

_It cannot be. What I saw in that room after Naraku attacked me was nothing more than a hallucination brought on by the immense trauma I was in up to that point. She can't possibly be here..._

"And why is that, Pharaoh Atemu of the Northern Lands?"

It was the exact same voice, the resonance that had created the gorgeous ballad he had heard only a few seconds past, and it was coming from the other side of his bed. And it was with immense trepidation that he looked upon his speaker. But even with the horrors that he and the others had gone through over he had not expected to see this.

The singer looked almost exactly like Kagome. From the basic bone structure to the hair, although it was much longer than his beloved's, and the skin itself was of the same beautiful pallor. Even the eyes of this mysterious woman were of a similar hue, but they were not shining and full of life like Kagome's. They were cold, bitter, and sad, almost as if the last thing they had seen was a slaughter of everyone the viewer cared about.

Only one other human being could ever have looked like this, and her simplistic Japanese priestess garb only confirmed the fact: this was indeed the same Kikyo whom Naraku had murdered so many years before, the same priestess whom had been entrusted with the care of the Shikon no Tama, and the same woman that Inuyasha had first fallen in love with.

"Do not let my messengers frighten you, Yami. They are merely here to serve me, and keep my undead soul alive, in a way not dissimilar to how Yugi keeps you functional."

"Is it truly you, Priestess, or are you merely a mirage sent by Hiei to torment me in my days of illness?"

"The vindictive monster of whom you speak has no control over my person, nor has he the means to create a likeness of me that would not fade away. I had hoped to see Inuyasha again, but I suppose that will not happen."

"I would help you, Kikyo, but I myself do not know where he is, nor do I wish to. I have no desire to see him at all, but if I should encounter him I will tell you. But that still does not explain why you are here, or why you decided to visit me in particular. My wounds might have been serious, but Kagome was in greater need of attention."

The ancient Japanese spirit looked towards her feet, unable to look the king straight in the eye.

"Not true, Yami. Naraku lied when he said that the attack was a small portion of his powers; he had every intention of killing you today. Of course, he had failed to take in the vastness of your Shadow powers, but the miasma works in interesting ways, and had I not arrived it would have destroyed both you and your vessel from the inside out. You should not have attempted to incur his wrath, for he is a beast of his own class, and only a handful of people have ever stood in his way and lived."

"You don't seem to understand; had I not intervened he would have murdered Kagome, and who is to say that Inuyasha and the others wouldn't have been next? He is a diabolical creature, as you have made rather clear, and if I did not try and stop him I could never have lived with myself afterwards. But regardless of that, if you are not with Hiei or Naraku, then where do your loyalties lie? There is nothing I would rather do than help you at this moment, but I need to make sure I can trust you first."

"I am under the thumb of no creature, living or dead, for much like you I am a wandering spirit, struggling to find some kind of purpose in my pseudo-life. But if anything I have not had many loyalties to begin with, for almost all of them have ended in disaster. I am hated by almost everyone that I have met, the one that I first fell in love with left me because of an action that I did not even commit, all of my family is dead, and even my lineage has become uncertain, for I have heard tell that an ancient ancestor of mine was in fact a High Priestess in ancient Egypt..."

_Of course! It all makes sense now; if I indeed fell in love with Kikyo's ancestor in ancient times, then I was destined to fall in love again with the same person, only her incarnation of modern times! But that also means that I had an enemy in that time akin to Hiei, and there is only one that could possibly fit that description._

"But now, all of that seems rather irrelevant, and as I look upon you, Pharaoh Atem, I feel strangely at ease, unable to be hurt by the ones I love, unable to even remember Inuyasha. So now that I have arrived I want to know something: does this feel right to you as well?"

The brown eyes of Kikyo locked on like lasers onto those of Yami no Yuugi, and the two became lost in them, whilst the Pharaoh became unaware of what he was saying.

"Yes..."

And the two began to move ever closer, lips mere inches from touching one another, _until the two shared a single kiss._

There was silence, and to those who could hear it, a sharp intake of breath. But this was soon masked in the sheer chaos of what happened next.

Every window in the place shattered into a thousand pieces, the medical beds soon overturned as a flash of black zipped through the room at an unmatched speed, as though the devil himself had arrived onto the scene. It wasn't the devil, but it was the next best thing.

A tall, svelte samurai warrior clothed in a sable gi, with emotionless eyes and flowing hair to match. A white Duel Gauntlet was the only exception to the rule, as well as a collection of charms and magical tomes that he held in his right hand. Upon the obi of the Japanese knight was a lacquered sheath, which in it's turn housed a long, gold-decorated katana, which unknown to any bore the elaborate Orichalcos insignia upon the blade.

He was the closest human that could be created to a Horseman of the Apocalypse, and he was indeed a warlord that Yami knew all too well.

"KACHIKACHI!!!"

"We meet again, Pharaoh. It has indeed been far too long, but it was a meeting I have prepared for to the highest degree. I have even enhanced my dueling skills, as you will see soon enough. And do not even think of using the Sacred Arrow on me, Kikyo, for he who has felt the bite of the Tokijin fears no mere bolt."

"What do you want here, dark swordsman?! You know as well as I that your breed of powers cannot defeat the Legendary Dragon I wield, nor can they snatch away the Sennen Puzzle! So if that is the case, why does Dartz even bother to send you?"

"You simply do not understand, Yami. I no longer am under the jurisdiction of Atlantis, as was once the case, nor am I here to face your dragons, for now. My reasons here are the destruction of your very soul using the near infinite strength of Orichalcos, as well as the chance to finally defeat Master Sesshomaru, but more on that later."

"Alright then, why have you come here?"

"In exactly 30 minutes you shall be fully healed, due to the Priestess' expertise in the arts of witchcraft, upon which I challenge you to a Shadow Duel in which the loser is taken by Orichalcos, and the winner receives one key. But believe me, I have no intention of letting you win this match, for when I'm through with you I shall at long last be free from Sesshomaru's grasp! And yet, isn't it ironic that no matter what goes down in this match you will have lost anyway?"

"And how is that?"

"Why, it's quite simple. If you would look out into the hallway you shall see what I mean. Oh, and just so you know, she saw everything, so it won't matter if you actually felt anything from that kiss or not."

Yami, despite his distrust of the warrior, decided to step out into the hall, and although he could not find who he was looking for immediately, his eyes soon fell upon Kachikachi's witness and his heart stopped in horror of what he had done.

The person that had seen his intimate moment with the priestess was Kagome.

Kaiba vs. Sango

"I'll start the duel, Kaiba."

_Perfect. Everything is going exactly as planned. _"I'll start by placing three cards face down, and summoning Amazoness Tiger in attack mode!" Sango's first monster was a fairly large wild cat with a build and fur color not unlike the actual beast for which it was named. Around it's neck was a golden collar that was attached to a rusted chain. (1100/1400) "And just so you know, Kaiba, my tiger gains an extra 400 attack points for every monster with "Amazoness" in it's name, and prevents other monsters from attacking these creatures." (1500/1400) "That will end my turn."

"That may be true, Sango, but remember this; as long as you have no Amazons to defend your tiger, it will be at my mercy. So I'll start my move by placing two of my magic or traps face down, and summoning Strike Ninja in attack mode!" Kaiba's new monster was a lean-built ninja in a black stealth suit with golden decorations, and both hands fell to the collection of throwing knives it had in it's pocket. (1700/1200) "Strike Ninja, destroy the Amazoness Tiger with Speed Blade!" Now ready to act upon his master's command, the assassin drew out two short swords from his back and charged right towards the beast, but what happened next was something even Kaiba had not foreseen.

"Activate the face down card, Amazoness Archers! When activated, it will decrease the attack of any attacking monster by 500 points, which will make your Strike Ninja weak enough for my Tiger to destroy!" The ninja was soon pierced by a rain of razor-sharp arrows, causing rivers of blood to flow down to the ankles and stopping it from attacking. (1200/1200) "Amazoness Tiger, counter attack!"

"Not so fast! I activate the Quick Play Magic Card I just set, Rush Recklessly! When activated it increases the attack of one monster on my side of the field by 700 points for the duration of my turn, meaning that the Ninja's attack points climb to 1900!" With a powerful feral resolve, the night warrior drew out the arrows that decreased his attack strength and charged once again toward the tiger. But without warning another monster emerged, a tall and extremely heavily muscled blond woman draped only in animal skins and wielding a broadsword, while at the same time grasping onto the Tiger's chain, and increasing it's strength. (1900/1400) Now capable of defeating the ninja, the primitive cat lunged forth and clawed apart his chest, while the ninja crushed both blades into the beast's head.

"The card I activated just now is called Ultimate Offering, and after paying 500 of my life points," (4000/3500) "I am allowed another Normal Summon or Set. This means that I could summon the Amazoness Paladin in my hand and boost my Tiger's attack strength to the point where your Ninja could not defeat it without killing itself first. But that is not the only move I had planned, for I activate my final face down card, Robbin' Zombie, which allows me to randomly discard one card from your hand whenever I cause damage to your life points, and further decreasing your pool of options."

"Fine, I'll place 1 card face down and end my turn."

"Right, now it's my move, and I'll start by summoning my second Amazoness Paladin and activating Monster Reborn on the Amazoness Tiger you sent to the Graveyard just last turn, meaning that my Amazons are safe and at 2000 attack strength, while the Amazoness Tiger is at 2300 attack strength. Oh, and if you had any intent of negating my attack, don't bother, for I activate the Magic card, Harpy's Feather Duster, to destroy all magic cards on your side of the field."

"Nice try, Minamoto, but I chain with Thunder of Ruler! This trap card allows me to prevent you from holding a battle phase during the turn this card is activate, meaning that you can't attack me directly this turn. Unfortunately for you, when you activated the Feather Duster you also triggered the Trap card, Wicked Statue, which allows me to summon one Statue Token whenever it is sent to the graveyard!" On Kaiba's side of the field emerged a medium-sized idol, likely from an ancient Southeast Asian civilization. (1000/1000)

"Fine, then I will end my turn."

Another card drawn by Kaiba, and in theory it could be useful to him.

"I'll start by placing 1 card face down, and activating the Magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards. Next, I will play this Magic card, Monster Gate, in order to sacrifice the Token I have face up on the field, and pick up cards until I reach a monster that can be normal summoned, and Special Summon it!" A massive ring structure with plasma energy in it's core appeared onto the field and absorbed the statue, and was now trying various chemical conversions and hydrogen bonds as Kaiba picked up his cards, and after the third he found what he wanted.

"Now I summon the monster known as Kaiser Seahorse to the field!" Kaiba's latest monster was what appeared to be a walking humanoid fish with heavy armor and a giant spear in one hand. (1700/1650) "And since this was a Special Summoning, I can now sacrifice my Kaiser Seahorse, as well as use it's effect of serving as a double tribute for Light-archetype monsters, to summon my Vatradan of the Order in attack mode!" The regal sea warrior, in response to the sacrifice, split into two different embodiments in a way akin to a mirage. Upon this unusual duplication, the twin water kings collapsed their body mass into twin orbs of light that undulated and contorted until a new soldier of light was created, a humanoid warrior with skin that was as pale as the full moon and eyes of purest blue. He was armored from head to toe in Romanesque armor hewn of platinum, the plume of which was fibrous gold. In one arm it held a silver-bladed gladius, whilst the other grasped a massive lance whose shaft was made of the strongest oak. (2700/2100)

"An impressive monster, Kaiba, but was it worth the trouble you put into summoning it?"

"You're about to find out, especially when it activates it's ability of Enforcer Call! This effect allows me to Special Summon two Enforcer Tokens to the field, and on my next turn I'll be allowed to sacrifice any number of them to increase my life points by 800 per token." From the sidelines entered two other Roman soldiers, but had regular armor instead. "But I hardly think that will be relevant when I activate the Magic card, Pump Up, which I will use on my first Token to increase it's attack by double for the duration of the turn. Now my empowered token and Vatradan, attack Minamoto's monsters!"

The first Enforcer moved forward in to attack the Amazon's pet beast, and as per his training hurled the spear straight through the monster's mouth and out the back of its head. (4000/3400). After this first attack Vatradan charged into battle in an orderly fashion befitting his centurion title, and knocked away the rightmost Amazon's sword with the lance. But this was only part one of the Roman regime, and it was by his years of experience that he stepped under her fist and made one solid thrust into her gut and into the ribcage. (4000/2600) "And that will end my turn." But as Kaiba passed the count onto Sango he felt something pierce his heart, or what was left of it, and for a moment he thought he was going into cardiac arrest.

Yet this did not seem like dying; it was more a psychic link of sorts, and it felt as though something was about to go horribly wrong. But what was worse was the very strange removal of heart from one part of his deck, like the owner was no longer there.

_He could no longer sense Botan's spirit._

New Paradigm Museum

"What did you say?"

"I believe you heard my words, Inuyasha. Now if I am to help you find those two, I will also need some assurance of safety from my master and his operatives, for should any of his contacts see us here they will be upon us like a swarm of locusts. But after I assist you in finding this enemy of yours, you and I will go our separate ways until the finals begin."

"All right. But don't try anything funny or I'll cut you down like a sapling." _Perfect! Now is the best time to track down Atem and make sure he never stands in my way again, and if he does have the hots for Kikyo or Kagome, I'll find out soon enough. And this is only the beginning; once Kagome is back with me I'll be able to hunt down Hiei and Naraku and end this conflict once and for all! After this tournament is over I'll finally be able to become the ultimate demon that I should have been from the very beginning, and who knows what I could do afterwards?_

Yoko, on the other hand, was fixated on something much more important, as his left palm began to pulse ever so slightly while he gradually pumped Spirit Energy into the seeds that had been planted there much earlier that day.

"Ok, let's get moving. I have several things to deal with after our little arrangement, and I don't exactly have a lot of time left to handle them." _And the clock's ticking down on you, half-breed. You may have been able to intimidate the less significant demons with that dental abomination of yours, but you'll find that my skills extend beyond those of the swordsman. The world of flora may be a dull one to someone like yourself, but with the vast amounts of knowledge that I have at my disposal, you'll find that they can serve as the ultimate tools of decimation..._

Inuyasha now stood to his full height and lifted the Tetsuaiga so that it's goliath blade was positioned right next to Yoko's head. "Now start walking."

"As you wish. But as I said before, you cannot afford my death, so be mindful of where you point that sword."

The two started walking to the other end of the gallery, passing various Egyptian exhibits from temples, shrines, palaces, and even some from the farming villages that were not too far from the fertile Nile banks, the bitterness from the last duel spawning an awkward silence between the two. There wasn't much action going on, with the exception of an increasingly strong stench of acid. But the dog demon's attention was slowly drifting away from his walk to destiny, and back to the words of that tablet that had shattered his perspective on life, how in one time or place the Priestess Kikyo was actually in love with someone else, and the Pharaoh no less!

On the one hand, it infuriated him to a level that even her betrayal could not have. To think that she had fallen for someone besides himself was a thought he simply could not stare right in the eye. What was worse, he might not have encountered Kikyo at all; he might have gotten to Kagome, and that was the one thing that he would not have. She was _his_, and by the wrath of his father's sword he would trample all that tried to snatch her away from him.

But...

What if Kagome _wanted _it this way? She had, after all, been away from the feudal era for over a year, and had seen neither hair nor hide of Inuyasha since that time, so what was stopping her from finding new love? Him? No, she had made it very clear that she was no longer afraid of him and the rage of the sword. In fact, she feared nothing save losing her family and friends, and she had almost lost both of these in one fatal swing bby Hiei. Would he be so callous as to deny her what she truly wanted, love from another kindred spirit?

No. He would not believe that pile of shit that he had created. She loved him, she had said it herself, and had even stayed with him after all he did with the Priestess. He would obtain her again, they could defeat Hiei with or without the Pharaoh, and they could finally return to feudal Japan and hunt the shards. But would he go so far as to tear her from love and life?

"We stop here, Inuyasha."

His personal thoughts interrupted by Yoko's command, the demon now went into a combat stance. "What are you talking about? You said you'd take me directly to Kagome and Atem! Now why the hell are we stopping?!"

"I've had enough of you, Inuyasha, and frankly I'm beginning to tire of that overgrown canine being pointed at me like some kind of cattle prod. So I'm going to end it now with one of my favorite techniques, the Acid Bulb!" Extending both arms revealed that both of Yoko's palms held about 5 grenade-sized plant bulbs attached to tendrils that were lashing madly about. "Tendrils, launch your load and blind the half-blood!" Within seconds all 10 bulbs were hurtling towards Inuyasha.

"Nice try, Yoko, but I'm afraid it'll take a lot more than some plants to take down my Windscar!" Now fully enraged, he brought the Tetsuaiga crashing into the marble floor, which in turn sent the full fury of Tototsai's greatest creation right through the bulbs. But Yoko artfully escaped the ultimate technique, by lashing his Rose Whip onto one of the rafters and dragging him out of the line of assault.

"You fool! Did you really expect that pathetic shockwave to destroy me? It may be able to slay 100 demons in one sweep, but it will not strike one extremely agile warrior. And that's not all you've managed to do, for as soon as I leave you'll find out why they are called ACID BULBS!" And with that he crashed through the nearest window and ran straight into the city.

_NO!!!_

But it was too late to call off the attack, and soon almost a gallon of acidic fluid was splashing against his face, burning it away and overloading his nose with it's reek. And within a second he was done, unable to stay awake as the stench overtook him...

To Be Continued

Finally done, until next time.

And speaking of next time, the following chapter will set the stage for Joey's first duel, while Roger and Kaiba continue to duke it out. In the meantime, Yami attempts to console Kagome, and fully realizes what he did. As for Inuyasha, we'll soon find out if there is somebody else for him...

Remember, READ AND REVIEW!!!


	30. Curse of Orichalcos

Disclaimer: None of this is my own.

Ok, in our last journey into this psychological whirlpool Yami and Kikyo shared their first kiss in over 5000 years, only to have Kagome discover the link. To make matters worse, Kachikachi confronted the Pharaoh with a dangerous Shadow Game. At the same time, Inuyasha has been betrayed by Yoko and has an opportunity to reflect on Kagome and her feelings, while Kaiba and Sango begin their duel, as Yusuke ends his own.

Chapter 30 begins the first major conflict between Yami and Kagome as he attempts to clear up what happened, while Kaiba's duel takes a turn for the worse. At the same time, Roger is about to end his battle, while Joey is at long last slated to begin his own. Through all of this Inuyasha makes a new "ally", and Dartz begins his attack on Yami and Hiei.

Chapter 29: Curse of Orichalcos

Hallway outside of the sick ward

"Kagome..."

In one devastating moment, all that the Pharaoh Atem had accomplished over the years, every victory, every demonic soul banished into oblivion, and even the rather important fact that one of his greatest enemies was standing right behind him, was all lost on his mind. All of reality seemed to dissipate and ebb away into the near infinite abyss, and soon all he could see was Kagome, her once vivacious eyes now brimming with tears. But what continued to reverberate in his mind was that he might have created an irreparable schism, and as this possibility grew exponentially greater with every passing second, his heart began to ache in a way he had never felt before.

Yet there was one thing the Pharaoh was dreading, and that was her reaction. This single event, however, was slow in coming, as it was obviously taking the incarnation a few seconds to fully absorb what had been laid before her.

"I don't know what came over me, Kagome. It was almost like the priestess was trying to draw me into some kind of enchantment that I could not for the life of me escape. If it's any consolation, I did try to resist her, but..."

"SHUT UP!!!"

Kachikachi, standing on the backstage of the spectacle, indulged in a cruel snicker beneath his breath, as Kagome suddenly lashed out at his long time nemesis with her surprisingly barbed temper. It was almost too good to be true; the two would soon be finished, and Sesshomaru would just as quickly taste the full power of his Orichalcos seal, the ancient Greek magic that also empowered the beings of Atlantis. It was all falling perfectly into place.

"Yami, when I first heard about you and your dueling championships when I was still in Tokyo, I thought you were nothing more than a pompous bag of wind who had gotten so bloated on his own ego that he almost considered himself unbeatable. Nobody really knew you or Yugi too well; you were just some random kid from Domino. But your match with Yami no Bakura had begun to prove me wrong, and I was beginning to realize that you were twice as sincere a man as anyone I had ever met. The duel with Kagura only confirmed this fact, and even before that I had already started to fall in love with you."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that as I got to know you better, I started to think as well that you were different, that you seriously cared about me more than anybody else. At the same time, I thought you were above the level to which Inuyasha had sunk, that you'd stay with me until the bitter end, and even then you would never leave. I thought that if Kikyo ever returned to you, the most that would happen is that you'd befriend her, and not abandon me for her. I assumed all of these things were true, _but I guess I was wrong about that!!!_"

"What?! Kagome, that's not true at all! I _do _love you, I'd give anything to be with you for all of eternity! It was a single kiss, that's all, and even now I'm regretting it, if it means you'll walk out of my life! _It meant absolutely nothing to me!_" Even now, the once proud Pharaoh had collapsed onto the cold marble, his hands clenched so tight that they drew blood. "For you, I'd give up everything, the Sennen Items, my deck, the very heart that keeps me alive. If you were cut down I'd trade my own soul to the devil so that you could live again..."

Yami's eyes moved up, staring into Kagome's, praying, waiting. But her eyes narrowed in utmost loathing, but it was also an expression of sadness, as more tears welled up behind them, and more had begun to stream down her once sweet face.

"You simply don't get it, do you, Yami? I offered you my heart, opened myself up to you, and this is how you repay me, by kissing that slut. To make matters worse, you don't even want to admit you did it of your own free will, you just try to cover it up with excuses and poetic crap. Well, I went down that road before, and I will never do that again." So saying, she turned around and began to walk towards the exit, not even bothering to look back, not letting on that she was torn apart from the inside out, her heart completely shattered. It was crying to her, and deep down she knew she had made a huge mistake. _I want to believe Yami, I really do, and in the deepest parts of my soul I still believe him, and even deeper down I know he's telling the truth. But how can I trust him? How do I know that he isn't just acting like Inuyasha and going from me to Kikyo? I'd do the same things for him that he said he would for me, and so much more, but I don't want to get hurt a second time. _And so she walked away, as her heart was breaking without any way to console it.

As for Yami, he was perfectly inconsolable, and the only thing that kept him from hanging himself by his own chain was an ever-increasing mantra, a demand of himself that grew slightly louder with every breath. He now knew what had to be done, before he could go back to Kagome, before he dealt with Hiei and Naraku. It was now time to do something that he should have done centuries ago. 

_I have no other choice. **I must murder Kachikachi, and banish him from this world once and for all.**_

He had endured enough from the samurai already, this monster that had brutally slain so many of Atem's people in the name of his deluded quest for power, that had brought forth the strength of Orichalcos, and that single-handedly estrangedthe only woman he had loved with all his heart from him. Yami had taken enough torment from him, and now he would not rest until his hands were drenched in Kachikachi's blood.

But unknown to the Pharaoh, Kachikachi was fingering the ancient Mugen-Dai that had been crafted using the power of Atlantis, full ready to draw it out if need be. There were very few that even knew that this legendary katana drew it's strength from the Dark Seal, and it was he alone that knew of it's capabilities when in the direct presence of Orichalcos.

So now it was time to begin the duel, the last combat between the two rivals, and before the day was done the true wielder of the Sennen Puzzle would be revealed.

"Well, Atem, it has been a long way in coming, but the time has at long last arrived, the day when I can finally claim the ancient strength of Egypt for my master and hurl you into the darkness forever. You may have been able to defeat the DOOM soldiers, but I am in a class of my own when it comes to the Orichalcos deck, and using the antediluvian might of the seal I will finally end this conflict between us and move on to my greatest accomplishments. Soon my powers will be strong enough to throw down my suzerain and his deranged king, and the entire world will kneel before the Mugen-Dai! Oh, but wait, it won't matter if you win or lose this duel, for I have already taken away the one thing that means the most to you. In one swoop I have turned Kagome against you, and by the time she realized what really happened you shall have been consumed by the shade, and I will draw and quarter your hikari Yugi when you have left the picture."

But as he spoke, Kachikachi began to notice that his archrival was beginning to quiver, not in fear as he had hoped, but in outright rage. And it occurred to him that he had made an enormous miscalculation.

"Very well, Kachikachi. If it is fated that I will lose this duel, then so be it, but if that is not the case then you have doomed yourself in a way you could not begin to imagine, and the horrors of the Shadow Realm shall be the least of your worries. I will see to it that every nightmare you ever had, every loss you have ever experienced, and every scar that has come unto you will be relived a thousand times over. When you lose to me, swordsman, I shall place you into a Punishment Game that exceeds all that you have endured before, and all of those that you have harmed over the years will be avenged."

"What, are you still upset over the fact that it was by my work that Kagome abandoned you? Do not even attempt to pin this on me. Certainly I arranged the event and calculated every last variable, but regardless of that you still kissed the High Priestess, and you have paid for it. But this time there is nothing that can be done, for the more modern version has experienced heartbreak on Kikyo's actions many a time before, and her heart has grown callous and unforgiving to your kind of circumstances."

"I know that, and as much as I hate to admit it I may never see Kagome again. It is true that it was my responsibility and I am paying for it. But that still does not justify what you did, and before this duel is over you shall die."

"We will see if you can back up your pathetic threat in our duel, Pharaoh. But while you figure that out I shall await your presence in the ballroom a few floors below us. So go ahead and collect your thoughts while I prepare to shatter you from this plane forever."

And in this mood the dark swordsman walked out of the ward.

_Let me assure you, Kachikachi, my threats have never gone unfulfilled, and before all is said and done I shall finally rid the earth of your plague, your soul scattered throughout the void. And, if destiny wills it, I shall get Kagome back. But in this case, it might not occur that way. I want her back more than any vengeance or victory, and losing her will be like losing my soul, but will she take me back?_

Unwittingly, Yami had begun to think through his words, and spoke them aloud. 

"Oh God, do not let me lose this woman, for compared to her, everything else I have done seems almost meaningless..."

Roger vs. R.D.

"I must say, I am impressed, negotiator. Out of all the duelists I have faced in this tournament you have proven to be the most difficult to vanquish. However, let me assure you of one thing: I have not yet begun to fight! It's my move, and I'll start by placing one monster in face down defense mode, as well as two cards face down. Your move."

"Very well." _These sociopath dueling strategies are rather bizarre. I already have one immensely powerful monster face up on the field, but judging from that look on her face she's got a few tricks set up for me, perhaps in an attempt to weaken my Perfect Machine King enough for her to attack it. But luckily for me, I have the only monster capable of shutting down her plan immediately on hand._ So now it was time to use it.

"I hope you weren't intent on using those face down cards to save your hide, for now I shall sacrifice my Roboyarou to summon a favorite monster of mine, the dreaded Jinzo!" Roboyarou, instead of being disassembled like his counterpart, was instead completely overhauled, and as if by a mystic force his armor was chemically altered, the humanoid part of him dismantled and replace with cybernetic components and a computer hard drive, and the general height of the creature was grossly enhanced, until a new, much more sinister automaton was left. The cyborg warrior now stood about eight feet tall, with a fabric metal green robe, iron shoulder guards, and a wraparound silicon face mask that surrounded the now shriveled human head sitting atop the monster's elongated neck. (2400/1500) "And although I am sure you know this much already, I may as well tell you that my android psycho shocker negates every trap on the field, including those face down, making the face down cards you just played worthless." Responding to it's initial programming as a trap remover, the ominous mechanical soldier sent a beam of super-thin light that scorched away one of the face down cards. "Now, Jinzo, destroy that face down monster with Telekinetic Pulse Cannon!" As the second component of programming as the perfect war machine activated, the two hands of Jinzo generated a very unstable orb of psychokinetic plasma, and sent it hurtling towards the defense monster. However, as the face down monster was revealed it became clear that in the shadows there were two defense monsters, in this case, a pair of fair-haired Romans that were clothed in simplistic brown robes not dissimilar to the earliest Italian garb. (1200/1500) Soon, however, the more cunning of the two shoved his brother into the path of the blast, and he was soon incinerated. 

"The monster that you just attacked is a rather powerful magician known as Gemini, and by attacking it you failed to notice it's special ability, which allows it to count as two separate monsters when on the field, but it forces me to take 700 points of direct damage if you are involved in it's destruction. But I would like you to recall my face down card known as Offerings to the Doomed, which let's me decimate one monster on your side of the field, but stops my next draw phase. So say goodbye to that eyesore of a Gundam, as I destroy Perfect Machine King!" As the Offerings card triggered, the most powerful monster that Roger had managed to summon was absorbed in the seven sacrificial jars, leaving behind only a few scant remnants of gears and missile launchers.

"Ok, I'll end my turn there."

"Right, so now it's my move." With the exception of not being able to draw that turn, Red Destiny's plan was going off perfectly. "I'll start this turn by sacrificing my remaining twin to summon a monster known as Taurus in attack mode!" Now full realizing what his fate was, the traitorous brother kneeled in prayer to the gods as his soul became forfeit, and in it's place was a massive bull, likely the breed used as tribute in Roman mythology. The tips of the beast's horns were gold-cast, while he hooves of the sable giant were silver. (2500/1000) "And I'll continue my attack by equipping it with the Horn of the Unicorn you sent to the graveyard earlier!" Between the curved horns of the creature emerged the long, electrical Horn of the Unicorn. (3100/1700) "Now, Taurus, destroy his Jinzo and bring me ever closer to victory!" The ultimate combat drone stood on position, ready to cut down the charging ox, but he had little to no experience in the combat of mystically empowered creatures, and soon he had been gored by all three of the monster's horns, the center of which sent an electrical shock into the core of it's programming, the end result being a complete meltdown that detonated the Jinzo. (600/1900) "And since your pathetic little machine is no longer on the field, I can activate all Trap cards, and the one I had in mind was this face down Jar of Greed, and that just about balances the Offerings to the Doomed I just played now. And now that my Battle Phase is just about done, I think I will activate this Field Magic card, known as Reflecting Pool of Stars!" Red Destiny's next card was indeed a bizarre magic, for in the center of the grim room of nightmares appeared a lake of jet black water, in which was reflected twelve groupings of stars.

These groupings were the constellations of the Zodiac.

"You've finally made the connection, Smith. As long as my pool of stars remains on the field, all Zodiac monsters, like my Taurus, will gain an extra 300 attack points, and both players on the field will gain 200 life points every turn. But there is a downside to the effect, for you at least: every time a Zodiac monster is destroyed, the opponent of the controller will lose one quarter of that monster's attack strength. So even if you can get rid of my Taurus, you will still lose this duel. So go ahead and draw your next card; it will take nothing short of a miracle to save you now."

"Very well." Another card draw, but perhaps this was the break he needed. And in accordance with the rules of the field, his life points increased slightly. (800/2100) "I'll place one card face down, and summon Black Hole Shield Armor in attack mode!" One of the weakest machines that Roger had to play was soon summoned; it was a fairly large mechanical left arm that appeared to be part of a larger combination. (0/0) "That will end my turn."

R.D. looked upon his latest creature for a second or so, until she burst out laughing.

"Please, negotiator, do you honestly expect so pathetic a creature as that to be able to defeat my Taurus, or any other creature I happen to possess? Well, if you want to believe that, far be it for me to stop you. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a duel to win." (1000/2300) I'll start by activating the Magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two new cards, followed by the activation of this Magic card, Card Destruction, so that we can discard my current hand and redraw the same amount. Now for the grand finale; watch as I activate Monster Reborn and Premature Burial to resurrect two of the monsters I had sent to the graveyard, Leo and Scorpio!" The next two Zodiac creatures were indeed rather powerful creatures; one of them was a gargantuan scorpion with a sting and pincers alight with flames, and the other was a lion with fur of the purest black and eyes that shone like hunter's moons. (2300/500) (2700/2000) "Next, I shall summon the most powerful 4-starred Zodiac, the great Aires!" This new monster, although in fact powerful, seemed puny in comparison to the other great behemoths that stood next to it. Aires was in fact a ram which was about the size of a standard sport utility vehicle, with golden fleece that hung down to it's legs. (1900/1600) "And remember, all four of these monsters gain the power of the Pool of Reflecting Stars, boosting their attack strength to indomitable heights!" (2600/800) (3000/2300) (2200/1800) (3400/2000) "Now my monsters, attack Roger's life points and his pathetic monster to end this duel!" But as the three Zodiac beasts converged on the Paradigm investigator, the automaton appendage latched onto Roger's arm, and converted itself into a center of gravity that was so horrifically dense that not even the minimal light of the room could escape it.

The attacks of all three monsters were absorbed by the black hole.

"WHAT?!"

"You obviously forgot that my Black Hole Shield has an effect that allows me to negate all damage done to me this turn, meaning that you have no way of defeating me until the next turn you take."

"Very well, I shall end my turn. But I want you to know something before I end your life; there is no monster that you possess that could defeat my warring soldiers of the Zodiac, and even if you did have any hope of winning a battle with these beasts, the effect of my Pool of Reflecting Stars will cause you to lose a massive amount of life points in the process. So go ahead and take your last turn, if you wish; it will take nothing short of an act of God to save you now." (1200/2500)

"Alright, Red Destiny, if you really want me to end this duel, then so be it. I'll start by using the card I just drew, Mystical Space Typhoon, to wipe out your Field Magic." Upon activation, a swirling torrent of wind and lightning dragged away the pool of stars, leaving the Zodiac monsters without any source of power. (2300/500) (3100/1700) (2700/2000) (1900/1600) "Next, I will activate my face down card, Mechanical Magic Mirror, which will allow me to activate one Magic card from your graveyard as though it were my own, and the Magic I've picked is your Pot of Greed!" As Roger was about to draw his two final cards, however, he closed his eyes, and muttered a silent prayer.

And as he looked at the two cards before him, he realized his prayer had been answered.

"Now I shall place 1 monster in defense mode, and then I will activate the card that will seal your demise, Book of Taiyou! It shall flip up one face down monster on the field, which is my monster, Cyber Jar!" From the ancient Egyptian tome was sent a ray of light that shone onto the deadly cyborg bomb, resulting in it's immediate detonation, and within seconds all four Zodiac beasts were smeared away. "I believe you know what happens next. Now we draw five cards and summon any level 4 or lower monsters to the field." R.D. managed to summon 5 monsters in attack mode, leaving no room for the Star Token that Taurus had produced: Sagittarius, a lean Nubian archer that sat atop a well-built horse (1600/1900); a massive, golden armored crab with brilliant white claws, Cancer (1100/2200); Pisces, which was a enormous red marlin whose eyes were pitch black (1400/1800); Libra, a fair-haired seraph in pearly robes that carried a set of platinum scales (900/2100); and finally Aquarius, which was a crooked old man dressed only in an outfit similar to Aborigine garb, but had a brilliant glass jar filled to the brim with the purest water. (400/600) But these results were nowhere near as pathetic as Roger's monsters, since he had ended up with four of the weakest machines in his deck; a long, cylindrical barrel that, unlike most firearm barrels, was completely smooth, a small cube-shaped computer that had three laser pointers jutting out of it, what could only be a giant glass sphere solidified by a steel frame and glowing with unstable neutron energy, and finally the largest component of all, a grossly oversized rectangular mechanism that hummed as it began to charge, as well as began to scan for other similar components while ten long, suction-tipped legs clamped into the dirt.

All of these monsters had absolutely no attack or defense strength.

"HA! Do you honestly expect monsters that are as pathetic as that to stop my onslaught of mystical beasts?"

"Actually I do. You see, these otherwise useless machines are in fact the stabilizer, the barrel, the targeting system, and the energy supply of a super powerful government weapon that launches billions of subatomic particles at opposing forces to destroy them from the inside out. But in order for the Power Core, Particle Chamber, Stabilizer, and Control Mechanism to be used effectively I need to combine them, and I can do that using the last Magic card Cyber Jar gave me, the Particle-Accelerator Cannon!"

Within seconds, the energy chamber connected itself into the main stabilizer console, and using it's circuits triggered magnetic beams that latched onto the barrel and dragged it onto the power core, upon which the barrel began to charge up with barely controlled energy. But the process was not finished, for the targeting computer hooked onto the bottom of the stabilizer, and sent out six beams of light to map out a target.

All six of them were pointing at Red Destiny.

"NO!!!"

"Alright, it's time we settle this grudge once and for all! And this time, don't come back! PARTICLE-ACCELERATOR CANNON, DESTROY EVERY MONSTER ON THE FIELD, AND HIT R.D. WITH 4000 LIFE POINTS DIRECT DAMAGE!"

Upon command, the heavy duty cannon charged up mass multitudes of negative energy uranium ions, and the targeting computer laid out each individual path, until all was let loose in a hellish blaze of fiery blue power that disintegrated every monster that did not stand aside, and before long the cannon itself collapsed. But the full fury of the blast kept on going, until it slammed into the psychotic drone's chest, knocking away the unusually disturbing red cloak and hurling her into the next wall.

"DAMN YOU, ROGER SMITH!!!" (1200/0)

_Hidden Cathedral, Center of New Paradigm_

"There is nothing but thee, O Dark God of Atlantis, ruler of my people. Thine will is law and we are but chattels bound to it. The ancient designs of the Olympians is not for us lowly mortals to tamper with, but I offer up this prayer to thee, Serpent God. Bring me victory in this, my most twilight of hours. And once ye designs have come to pass in full, I shall offer up the finest bullock in tribute to thou who guides the hands of fate."

Deep within the massive compound where DOOM Organization held base, there was located a small yet ornate cathedral, where constantly on hand stood the Messengers of Delphi. These highly trained spell-casters and seers were supposedly direct descendants of the legendary Oracle of Delphi, and had been targeted by the High Monarch of the Sea Kingdom many years before. Apart from the priesthood, the entire temple was basically a combination of Gothic and Pantheon structures that blended together to form one flawless architecture. The lights, ancient Roman oil lamps, were constantly kept alight by the attendants of the King Dartz, and the blue light of the lamps gave the place a rather eerie aura. The altar was carven from the bedrock upon which Atlantis once stood, and stood watch over the tombs of those rulers whom had passed before him. 

And on every wall, in every alcove, and even on the floor of the place, was that same seal, the Mark of Atlantis.

"And now, in honor of the might of Orichalcos, I offer up these impure souls so that you may feed from them. Grow strong, God of Atlantis, and prove that you are just and noble as once was thought. Let all of those infidels that surround us be finally be placed in their graves prematurely, and the nameless Pharaoh, the murdering Spirit King, and the malevolent Fused Demon, may all three be cast from this place, and may the near infinite power they possess be used to resurrect you in full. IN THE NAME OF ORICHALCOS, I SWEAR TO FULFILL THIS OATH AND DEFEAT MY ENEMIES! MAY ATLANTIS PROSPER FOR TEN THOUSAND YEARS TO COME!"

Upon this oath being fully uttered, ten of the Messengers of Delphi kneeled onto the ground and began chanting in an archaic form of Greek, every so often tossing up heated incense into the rafters so that it fell onto their heads. From behind the other pillars emerged many other priests, each holding an obsidian tablet, in which was held an elaborate emerald seal, which looked exactly like that found on the floor of the place and the walls.

"And now, Seal of Orichalcos, release your prisoners into the gaping maws of the Serpent God!" Upon saying this, all of the emblems in the place lit up with an iridescent green hue, and sent these unorthodox rays of light straight into the altar, from whence emerged a gruesome looking idol. It was about the size of a toddler, but depicted a mammoth black snake whose eyes were of a dark burgundy hue, but were absolutely soulless. And now the jaws opened by some unseen force...and drew into them the light of Orichalcos.

With a speed unmatched by any mortal creature, an army of souls shrieked forth from the seal, some resigned to what fate had handed them, others losing all dignity in one swoop by bawling like a baby, screaming for mercy as they were consumed by the dark snake. Some of the less experienced began to fear for themselves, none too sure if the god would not turn on them next, and even the seasoned priests grew pale with horror of what was happening.

Only one of them, the man whom had orchestrated the sacrifice, had remained perfectly calm throughout the entire proceedings. And it was he that now stood, dangerously close to the stream of the damned that flowed just over his head.

He waited for a minute or so, and walked towards the back of the cathedral, the card in his left pocket suddenly warm.

_These offerings were good, but they were not enough to appease him. I need the spirits of stronger warriors, warriors like Yami and Hiei._

Dartz had spent many years and large amounts of money constructing various complexes throughout the world capable of his rather extravagant tastes, and it was this base in particular that he had spent most of that money on. The miscellaneous rooms, tunnels, and storage facilities ran on for miles on end to the outskirts of the eyesore city, and some of his outposts for this base even came close to the blockade around the levitating metropolis. But with this specific base, he had designed it so that Hiei's Sennen Eye could not track it down, and the fortress itself could not be penetrated by sheer brute strength; the Orichalcos Steel made sure of that. But there was still something missing here, some final piece of the puzzle he needed to overthrow his enemies, new and old. Perhaps the DOOM Soldiers could help him find that out, but for the most part he knew what he needed. 

But the Atlantian King, having focused so acutely on his latest attack plan and still disappointed by the results of the sacrifice, had unwittingly brought himself to the oaken doors of his personal boardroom. This was not unfortunate, but there was something strange here, something slightly out of place. For a few seconds he even had a slight sinking feeling in his stomach, but that was likely due to the premonition at hand.

Dartz, however, had never been one to run away from difficulties merely because his gut told him otherwise, yet it seemed prudent to keep his old Macedonian dagger on hand. And so armed he pushed open the double doors, and came onto a somewhat unsettling scene.

The entire black-paneled meeting room was in shambles. Chairs were tossed about the place, several of the closed-circuit monitors were smashed open, and at least five of the guards now lay dead with barbed skewers sticking out of their eyes. Hanging out of the walls were the hidden cameras that probably recorded the thief and his actions before he put two and two together and tore them out. And everywhere there was the thick odor of human blood. But what was strange was the fact that there was only one way out of this place, and the crime itself looked like it had been done soon after he had arrived. So someone else must have caught the burglar and dealt with him promptly.

The snapping of vertebrae only confirmed his suspicions.

"That is quite enough, Raphael. I am almost sure that the man is dead."

From the shadows of one corner of the room emerged a giant of a man, a powerful looking Caucasian with a closely cropped head of golden hair. His face looked well-cut and refined, and it was immediately obvious that he had spent some of his life in opulence, but at the same time it appeared worn, as though he had undergone a great loss throughout his life. He wore a black leather trench coat and what could only be body armor beneath it.

In his hands was a human dressed all in gray, scrawny in comparison, with his head twisted at an odd angle.

Upon seeing his master and ally, the one called Raphael kneeled before him, placing his hand upon his chest in sign of servitude, at the same time offering a prayer for his victim.

"Rise, my servant. I am assuming that the thief did not find anything of significance?"

"None that I could find on his person, milord. I have reason to believe, however, that he had some bearing of what was going on in this place. My guess is that he was not some thug that found his way here by sheer dumb luck."

"That is obvious, Raphael, but we have much more important matters to deal with, and although this brigand may be on the payroll of the demon Hiei, it would not be wise to focus solely on him."

As the two set up the tossed about chairs and put everything back into working order, the oaken doors opened again, to reveal a short youth with wild brown hair, hardly older than sixteen. He was clad in brown and crimson military issue, but the difference was that it was plated in varying types of futuristic armor. Upon his head was a pair of thick welder's goggles, and his left pocket played host to an advanced personal organizer.

"Varon, please do not stand in the doorway like some buffoon. Enter, and sit down, for we have several topics that the entirety of the DOOM Soldiers should be involved in."

The armored teen decided to comply with this, and from the refrigerator extracted a glass of mineral water. Raphael removed his favorite bourbon, and Dartz settled on a glass of white Tuscan wine.

"Now, our prisoner was released, as per my orders?"

Varon, who had not been clued into this part of the mission, was a little perturbed, but Raphael nodded in compliance. "As you said, he was allowed freedom, but I do not understand why that would help our ventures here. If by some twist of luck he is able to locate Kagome..."

"Then he shall lead us right to her, and the Pharaoh as well. Naraku I am not too worried about as of yet, since his main battle is with Hiei for that damnable jewel, and Inuyasha I am certain we can remove from this tournament with no problems at all. It is that Spirit Detective, as well as Kaiba and Yami, that gives me the largest of my problems. If we can remove these three from the picture, then Hiei and Naraku will be easy pickings. However, even that does not end my list of concerns, for we still have the problems with Kachikachi to contend with."

"That is being handled as we speak, Lord Dartz, for he has taken it upon himself to challenge the Nameless Pharaoh in a Shadow Game. But what I do not understand is why you need Yami's prostitute alive to find Hiei."

"You don't understand every aspect of the situation, Raphael. This woman can supposedly track down jewel shards, and if this is true we shall be able to find Hiei easily, presuming she complies with our demands. The Pharaoh I will deal with myself, and Naraku if the need arises, but until then we shall simply weaken the fools until the time to strike is ready. Now in the meantime, I need you two to locate our enemies and defeat them, no matter what it takes. I myself will continue the research into this new threat."

And with that, the two DOOM Soldiers walked away towards the exit, as Dartz had time to contemplate this new battlefield.

_What are you trying to hide from us, Hiei Jagenshi? What makes you think that you have a chance at defeating Atem in his own game? If I need to, I will prove to you myself who the real mastermind is_...

Kaiba vs. Sango 

_No, it can't be true. I will not accept it, not now, or ever. She can't be dead; maybe she blacked out and that's what is causing this lack of heart. If Hiei killed her, who knows what will happen on his own playing field_...

From the sidelines, the old woman that had devised this entire duel was getting aggravated. The match had been annoyingly one-sided from the beginning, and the fact that Kaiba was now collapsed onto the ground only irked her more. Of course, she had a vague idea of what the problem was, but even that was not enough to put the duel on hold. 

"KAIBA!!! Get on your feet already and duel like a man, and for the love of God show a little dignity; I can hear your sobs from across the room! So what if your ugly little girlfriend got cut down; she's not worthy of that kind of attention, and my guess is that even the grubs won't be able to look at her with a straight face! Trust me on this, I knew her for four horrible years, and she is not worth that kind of self-humiliation!"

Yet as the cruel sensei of his opponent lashed out mercilessly, Kaiba, perhaps out of hysteria or sheer good humor, cracked a rather chiding grin.

"You know, I've been studying you for a bit of time since the duel began, and I think I figured out something. That look, the remarks, the white Duel Gauntlet, it all clued in to something that should have been immediately obvious. You are the psychic Genkai, and although I had never seen you before I knew very much about your reputation as a telepath, and the reputation you hold as one of the world's greatest duelists. It only makes sense that Hiei would hire you to deal with his smaller enemies, but for some strange reason, whenever you have a truly powerful enemy, like me, you simply train some punk off the street."

"Believe me, Kaiba, Sango has more skills in the arena than you have seen so far, and it will not be long before Hiei is picking the sinew from your skull."

"I doubt that, but a question still comes to mind: why did you verbally assault Botan just now, and more importantly, why are you working for the one man who is going to destroy your last apprentice? I can't quite understand the second part, but I think you and I both know the answer to the first question. You're jealous of her."

"WHAT?!!"

"Don't try to hide anything from me, Genkai; I read people's faces, movements, and words for a living. And I can start to see why my theory is correct. She is easily prettier, stronger, smarter, and a much better duelist then you shall ever be, and that is why you hate her today. She reached a level of greatness that you could never possibly attain! And in the end, we both know who will emerge the winner in your little competition."

"It isn't enough for you to wear rose-colored glasses, is it, Kaiba? You want to see with rose-colored eyes! You obviously think way too much of that ancient whore, and something must have clouded your mind to make you spew out that garbage!"

"Believe whatever you want to believe, old hag. You and I both know the truth."

"Very well. Sango, I've had just enough about this piece of trash and his grating mannerisms, so now is the time to finish the job that Miroku started! END THIS DUEL NOW!!!"

"As you wish, Genkai. I'll start by placing one card face down, and then I'll summon D.D. Warrior Lady in attack mode." Sango's latest monster was a short young brunette in silver armor that appeared both ancient and contemporary, while in it's right hand she held a glowing short sword that slanted like a machete at the tip. (1500/1400) "Next, I'll deal with those enforcer tokens that your Roman hack called upon. D.D. Warrior Lady and Amazoness Paladin, remove those grunts from the field once and for all!" The Roman infantrymen struggled to hold off the swords of their new adversaries, but with a few short strokes the scutums were knocked away, and in a brutal flash the female soldiers had lopped off the heads of both of the servants of Caesar. (3000/2600) "That will end my turn."

"Don't insult my intelligence, Minamoto. You may have been able to remove my enforcers, but the true general is still on the field. And now that I have drawn, I will summon a personal favorite monster of mine, Vorse Raider!" Upon the field emerged the savage ax-wielder, fully ready to cut down the next thing that moved. (1900/1200)

"Next, I will place one card face down, and activate the Magic card, Watch Tranquilizer, which will allow me to reduce the total attack strength of any monster face up on the field by 100 times it's level. And in this case, my target is your D.D. Warrior Lady." Upon Kaiba's arm appeared a small digital watch, but this was a deceiving appearance, for soon enough the face converted into a targeting mechanism, while one of the set buttons became a thin, hypodermic dart. Thus equipped, he then searched around the place until his crosshairs locked onto the dimensional warrior, upon which he set a small tremor near the base of his wrist. This muscular spasm triggered the dart launcher, and soon the needle was sticking into the lady's unprotected throat, seeping it's poison into the bloodstream and bringing her to the ground. (1100/1400) "Now, Vatradan of the Order, destroy the D.D. Warrior Lady!" In a combination of rage and vengeance for his fallen comrades, Vatradan lunged forward, ready to rain all the fury of hell upon his newfound enemy, and it was in this blinded wrath of adrenaline that he smashed the dimensional drifter with the blunt end of his lance until she lay sprawled across the ground. But Vatradan was not done yet, for he brought the same lance crashing into her chest so that she could not strike back. Yet unbeknownst to the general, he had sealed his own demise, for as soon as the warrior was dead, a massive breach in reality crashed open, and the resulting vacuum sucked Vatradan into it's vortex.

"So the Roman Empire falls yet again. Perhaps if you had looked closer, Kaiba, you would have realized that the D.D. stands for Different Dimension, and perhaps you wouldn't have been taken by surprise the fact that when this monster is attacked it can remove itself and the monster that attacked it from play after the Battle Phase is over. But don't think I'll let my life points get damaged; my face down card, Curse of Pain, will handle that for me, and will cause you some hefty damage in kind." (1400/2600)

"Fine. But remember that I still have my Vorse Raider to do my bidding, so I will use it to destroy that Amazoness Paladin!" Although a little wary at first after what happened to Vatradan, the bloodthirsty killer leapt into the air, letting fly a sacrilegious yell as he sliced the swordswoman in half. (1400/2500) "And that will end my turn."

"If that is all you intend to do, then this duel is as good as mine. I'll start my next move by summoning the Amazoness Chain Woman in attack mode." Sango's latest monster seemed to be older due to the graying hair, unlike the others she had played so far, but still had the same basic build and clothing. The only truly notable point was the fact that unlike the other amazons her weapon of choice appeared to be a chained bola. (1500/1300) "I will then place 1 card face down, to end my turn."

"Please, do you honestly expect me to buy that piece of garbage? I've seen this trick before, in Battle City; you intend to lure me into attacking your chain master, which will then allow you to select any card from my deck and add it to your hand for the rest of the duel. Your friend Miroku tried that card-stealing tactic before to use my Obelisk the Tormentor, and judging from the fact that you haven't used Ultimate Offering in a while, I can safely guess you'll try the same illusion. It may have worked once before, but not this time! I'll disable your plan using the card I just drew, Dark Core, in order to discard one card from my hand and remove one monster on your side of the field from play, so your Amazoness Chain Woman will no longer be a nuisance to me." Once Kaiba had ditched one of the cards in his hand, the fourth amazon Sango had played was sucked up in a highly dense gravitational pull until she was torn apart. "Next, I will activate my face down card, Jar of Greed, to draw an extra card into my hand. Finally, for my greatest move, I shall sacrifice my Vorse Raider to summon the Airknight Parshath that I won from my last duel!" Soon enough, the murderous beast was consumed by a glowing orb of holy light, until it had been fully replaced by the skilled archangel. (1900/1400) "Now, Airknight Parshath, mount a direct attack on her life points!" Yet as the mighty seraph lifted his spear to cast judgment on the enemy, Sango decided it was time to cut her losses.

"Activate face down card, Shrink, whose effect I believe you know very well!" As she said this, the centaur-like divinity lost half of it's attack strength, and could only toss the smaller of the two lances into Sango, knocking her back a little but not as bad as it could have been. (1400/1650)

"Well, fortunately for me, I am still allowed to draw a card since Airknight caused you damage. So now I'll use that card, Graceful Charity, to draw three new cards and discard any two from my hand. And now, to end my turn, I shall activate Monster Reborn on one of those cards I sent to the graveyard, my Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

As the signature ankh of the monster resurrection emerged, Genkai and Sango alike began to grow frightened. Both of them knew the reputation of the legendary dragon of light whose sheer power alone would make many a duelist quake in fright. Both of them had seen what Kaiba could do with one Blue Eyes, and there were two others lying in wait, safely tucked into Kaiba's deck. And elsewhere in that same deck slept a blood hungry goliath, the God of Obelisk, and if that beast was summoned to the field they had no way of winning.

"SANGO! You say that you can defeat me, and you insist that I am meant to be with you, but I am afraid that neither of those claims can be true, for you are about to stare into the eyes of death itself! Come forth, my great wyrm, and let shine your awesome power!"

And standing in the monster card zone, snorting with barely contained disdain at the hovel to which it had been called, was the white-armored, blue eyed nightmare of every duelist on Earth, the creature that was both desired and feared by all that had seen it face to face.

The time of judgment had come, and the Blue Eyes White Dragon stood over the proceedings. (3000/2500)

New Paradigm Museum (Nightmare Sequence)

It had stood there, silent, motionless, a rather poorly made item from the naked eye's point of view. To anyone who had never learned the history of the tool that stood before them, they would just as quickly tossed it into the scrap metal pile for use as raw steel, never knowing the full strength that it could attain.

Totosai had called Tetsuaiga the weaker of his two swords that had been spawned from the teeth of Inuyasha's father, but for those that had felt the unbound fury of the Windscar, this was not true, not in the least. Still, the dog demon reached for it, the legendary blade that would make him a legend with it. The time was not right, the sword was never on a pedestal in which it had not been buried, and Inuyasha had not taken it by himself, but he reached for it anyway, because in the land of dreams, there is no reality but what the mind wills it to be.

His hand wrapped all the way around the rough, leather-bound hilt, cool to the touch by a lack of use. The edge was battered, the metal itself of horrible quality; if the thing got hit by a pebble it would shatter into a thousand pieces. But he knew that it had a hidden power, and he willed the power to come to him, and be one with his spirit. For a second nothing happened, and then the blade transformed, into a fang-like shape whose hilt was topped by dog fur.

But something was odd about the sword this time; it emitted a horrible aura, not unlike the aura that surrounded Naraku at all hours of the day, and the blade was oozing something. That something was pooling around his feet. The blade was darkening, and in it he could see the vaguest of images; a glowing jewel tainted with terrible acts of violence and brutality, a sadistic looking nobleman whose visage constantly warped and undulated, a depressed young woman who lay dead in a meadow, and worst of all, a pile of dead, hundreds of them, that represented the people he had wronged.

But one image was becoming clear amidst all others, and that was the image of a beaten Kagome, hardly older than 17, arms snapped, face bruised almost beyond recognition, and thousands of deep gashes that poured out her life force. Her mouth hung slack, her eyes staring straight forward, and Inuyasha knew she was dead.

He let out a scream, or at least he tried to. But his mouth, for whatever reason, was silent, and no matter what he did he could not avert his eyes from the reflection that now replaced all other mirages.

It was his own face that stared up at him from the black surface of the sword, or almost his own. The face looked different, borderline insane, eyes stained in the crimson of human blood, and the fangs more pronounced. He held no sword, but stood armed with only his natural weapons, the weapons of a murderer.

He was staring into the eyes of his demon half.

Inuyasha was unable to stand it any more, looking at the lunatic before him, and in outright disgust hurled the Tetsuaiga away from himself, but that did little, if anything, for his feelings of dread. He could now hear that sadistic bastard laughing like a maniac, surrounding him with his awful screech. He watched the corrupted blade fall, ever so slowly, until it smashed onto the ground and shattered into microscopic pieces. And as each individual piece landed, he soon realized that all of this time he had been standing in a puddle of human blood.

And his nightmares could silence him no longer.

"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

(End Nightmare Sequence)

On the mortal plane, slitted yellow eyes burst open in response to the horrific visions that had passed beneath sealed lids. Sweat stood ever vigilant upon his brow, some renegade beads streaming downward, and his hands dug into the hard marble floor. But that was not his concern, for now at least, as he began to search for his two most valuable items, his deck and the Tetsuaiga. One part of the hunt was soon done with, for his deck was nestled safely in the Duel Gauntlet, none the worse for wear. But his infamous sword was not so close on hand, and it was with a degree of panic that he began to look for it. Although he had trained for some time to keep his demon half under control, it was highly unlikely that he could keep it out for more than an hour, and that was only if he used all of his will power to keep it in check. Therefore, the only guarantee of New Paradigm's safety was if he kept his hand on Tetsuaiga, or if the new moon arose within the next few minutes. But the blade was nowhere to be found, and already he felt like an army of insects was marching beneath his flesh. That last duel had worn him down considerably, and at this rate his dark side would overwhelm him in about ten minutes.

_Where IS it? I know that the attack caused me to drop the sword, but I can't seem to remember where it went when that happened! It was that damn acid; it must've blinded me temporarily so I couldn't see it! I'd better work fast though, or it's curtains for everybody in this city_...

Panic started to take over calm searching, and the half-blood demon started to show the earliest signs of demonic possession. Terrible thoughts started to pass through his head, ponderings of murder and conquest. He started to formulate a plan for Kagome's demise, and the Pharaoh Atem's as well. He started to consider locating Kaiba, Yusuke, Joey, and even that negotiator character, and he thought to kill all of them. His darkness could not rest, would not rest, until every living thing in the city was slain. 

But just as he was about to surrender himself to the shadows of his torn psyche, the sweet, ringing tune of salvation cut through, and it can almost be said that this selfsame grace landed right at his feet.

The blade now sat there, it's power absolutely veiled beneath it's shoddy exterior, and Inuyasha reached for it again. This time, however, the sword did not seem at all corrupted, yet warm, inviting, and pure regardless of the blood in which it had been soaked all this time.

_Perfect. Now that the Tetsuaiga is back where it belongs, I think it's about time I get the hell outta here. But one things still confuses me: who handed me the sword in the first place_?

It didn't really matter, he thought, and so decided to get out of that place once and for all. He still had a tournament to deal with, and some unfinished business to attend to. But he had a feeling it would be bugging him all night, as would what happened next. 

Perhaps in his state of perpetual alarm he had failed to notice that one half of his face, the one that had been hit by Yoko's attack, was covered in gauze. And at first it was a welcome gesture, considering how rather sensitive the seared flesh felt even from beneath the wrapping, but then another thought came into mind: could the same person that had tossed him the Tetsuaiga be the one who had bandaged his wounds as of now?

"Don't worry about it. I guess you could say I owe you one."

The new voice coming out from behind the alcove nearest to Inuyasha was rather attractive to him, very smooth and collected. And from that source emerged a lithe young brunette, with hair cut up to the neckline and eyes that were a shade or two lighter than Kaiba's. Her skin was slightly tanned from the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City events, but it was not so much that the tone was repulsive.

Inuyasha recognized her as Tea Gardener, that friend of Yugi's that Hiei had attempted to control and murder only a few days back.

"Hey, Gardener. What brings you here?"

"Call me Tea. And as for why I'm here, well, that's a little harder to explain than I can at this point. The bare bones of it was that I was looking for Yugi when I saw what happened after Yoko pulled that trick on you."

"So my guess is that you returned the Tetsuaiga to me. Well, I guess I owe you one there. But how did you learn how to treat acid burns like that?"

"Any more of that stuff on you and I don't think I could have. It was pretty serious throughout, but I had a few materials with me just in case of emergencies. After what happened with Hiei I figured that I couldn't be too ready to handle a problem."

The two sat down on a small hardwood bench that stood not too far from the Egyptian exhibit. Inuyasha, who had endured a large amount of difficulty, simply decided to relax for a few seconds while Tea searched through her purse until she found an annoyingly pink cellular phone, and started flipping through the News Download section until she found what she was looking for, made a note of it, and snapped it shut again.

"I notice you aren't too interested in calling anyone with that phone of yours."

"At this altitude I couldn't reach anyone anyway. I was just checking up on the situation in New Paradigm; there are rumors going around that some nutcase tried to assassinate Kaiba, but the hitman was found dead soon after. It's all starting to get a little freaky."

"You don't know freaky like I do, Tea. I've seen things that would make a machine quiver in it's boots. But I can't really stay for long; I've got some places to go to."

"Alright, it's been nice talking to you. But what kinds of things are you planning to do?"

"I've got to track down this "Atem" guy and make sure that he doesn't move in on Kagome. I'll see you later."

Tea was left with her thoughts for a second or so before the other shoe fell, and she ran to catch up with the demon, barely able to control her own anxiety.

"Something wrong, Tea?"

"Inuyasha, I can't let you hurt Atem. He's a friend of mine."

"WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU MENTION THAT EARLIER?! I COULD'VE DEALT WITH THAT PROBLEM IN A SECOND IF YOU'D GIVEN ME SOME IDEA THAT YOU KNEW HIM!!!"

"You don't get it. I do not want you touching him, and if he and Kagome do meet each other, I can only hope that you two can settle that part. But for now, I can't allow you to do anything. Besides, he'll kill you before you can come within two feet of him anyway." And with that, she stepped in front of the agitated demon.

"Get out of the way, Gardener."

"You know I won't."

"Look, Gardener, I've taken down warriors and demons that were about a hundred times more skilled than you, and although I'll give you credit for your bravery, I cannot allow you to stop me. So get out of my way."

"Go ahead and kill me, Inuyasha, I don't care anymore. If that is what you absolutely have to reduce yourself to, then so be it. But I'd rather die then see Atem get hurt, and if you actually used some of that animal mind of yours, maybe you'd think about how Kagome feels for once. Maybe she wants to be with him, and you are simply too much of a jackass to let her stay with him."

"DAMN IT, GARDENER, GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" And with that he drew out his Tetsuaiga, which in turn transformed into it's fang mode while it's master stood in battle position.

"What are you waiting for, Inuyasha? Are you going to kill me or not? But before you do, take a good, long look at what you're doing. You are about to murder three innocent people, me, Atem, and Yugi, simply so that you can get Kagome back. But even if you do accomplish this she will see what you did, on your sword and on your hands, and she'll be completely disgusted. And you can't forget my other idea, how Kagome might actually be in love with him. So go ahead, kill me if you want, but think hard about it first."

It was the very first time in over a year that anyone had stood up to him like that. Nobody since Kagome had shown such bravery in the face of certain death, and like she said, Inuyasha thought about his plan for a second or so.

Until he sheathed the sword of his father, and collapsed onto the ground.

A little distance from the New Paradigm Hospital

The carcass had been swept up, the blood had almost been completely cleaned away, and what remained of Weevil's deck had been carted off by some punk duelist that had passed by a few minutes earlier. There was nothing that remained to be done here, at least by Joey. Yusuke had already headed off by now to do whatever he had come around for, so the only thing keeping Yugi's best friend around was his thoughts, mostly those about the brutal Sesshomaru.

Even from that small encounter, Joey could tell on the spot that there was something seriously wrong with Weevil's murderer, some unnoticed psychosis that drove him to commit such gruesome acts of violence. It wasn't the fact that Weevil had been killed; under different circumstances he would have done it himself. But Joey had seen something, a massive variable that Yusuke and Sesshomaru failed to notice: what he saw was a little boy who couldn't have been much older than 5 standing on the corner nearby, and any idiot could have figured out that he had seen the entire thing, maybe even have been close enough to get hit by some of the blood.

_There is no doubt in my mind that Sesshomaru not only knew that the little kid was watching, he let the kid watch the slaughter on purpose. He must have had some kinds of problems as a kid to strike away young innocence in one flash, and I can only guess that he's after more fresh blood. Well, if he really thinks he can intimidate me with a little fancy light trick, he's got another thing coming. I'll take that bastard down myself, if I have to_!

But the odds were that the second dog demon Joey had met was not going to confront him until the final rounds, and in order to do that, he would need to make headway in his tournament progress. The talk was that Yugi had already beaten 3 duelists already, and he was not about to drop out of the tournament. But the strange part was that there had hardly been any duelists hanging around this place, so the best thing to do was locate the hotbed of the dueling action, wherever that was. 

_Alright, so Mai isn't in this tourney at all, Weevil and Rex have already been eliminated, Kaiba wouldn't duel me to begin with, and there's no way I'm taking on Hiei yet. I guess the only thing to do is find somebody that'll have a match_.

But the whole place was silent, and thanks to Sesshomaru's grim sense of humor there wouldn't be a duel around here for a long time. So Joey decided to take a walk, to see who he couldn't find. 

But nobody he knew was around here; the closest he could find was a few people that Yusuke hung around with, but he didn't know their names or even if they could hold their own in Duel Monsters. But as he got farther along into the seedy underbelly of New Paradigm, whether or not he was going to find a duel became the least of his worries.

Now, on his own turf, Joey was easily the best street brawler there was, but this was something else altogether. The only weapon he carried was a jackknife he started to tote around after Hiei got thrown into the mix, and even the lowliest of the beggars were packing revolvers of some kind. Luckily for him the bums were not too easily agitated due to some lunatic that had caused trouble in some apartment complex on the other side of town. It could have been Hiei, but nobody had seen the event, since the news had only started to trickle in.

The smell of home-made liquors, hand-rolled cigarettes, and human vomit was becoming increasingly apparent, and somewhere in the distance Joey could hear a car alarm crying sadly to it's owner, dead or alive. Some two bit punks were spraying political slurs on the walls of a run down coffee shops, and cheap prostitutes were selling their wares to whomever was enough of a sleaze to take them. A pair of human legs jutted out of a dumpster on the other side of the street, and two little children who seemed to have not been fed or bathed in years started to gnaw on them.

_Looks like there's trouble in Paradise_.

It was really a horrible situation, and in this neighborhood there was likely to be some kind of bar. And Joey took note of the fact that some freaky-looking guy was slouching outside one of the less-sincere looking ones, nursing a shot of some hard alcohol. He was a tall man, but he looked like he'd gone slightly to seed over the past few years, seeing as his face was far from clean-shaven. Dressed in a sleeveless leather vest with matching pants and a bright blue mohawk with tassels sticking out of it, it looked like he had skipped a decade or two and was still living on grunge. After a few minutes he seemed to decide that he was finished with the drink and tossed the shot glass through the nearest window, which, unfortunately, happened to be the same bar he had gotten his liquor from. The bartender did not take this too well, and came out of the place screaming obscenities in some form of Russian. The drunk, in turn, staggered away into the street...and right in front of Joey. 

"Well, well, well, if it ain't the second best at the Duelist Kingdom, Joey Wheeler." The man spoke in a heavy Austrailian accent, so he was obviously not a native around here.

"Who wants to know?"

"Well, I've heard you're a bud of one Yusuke Urameshi, the same I ran into a coupla times back, and I've also heard you're a none too bad duelist. Well let's see how you can handle a match wit me."

"Alright, so what are the stakes?"

"I've got two tourney keys, and I know you have only one. So I suggest we have a winner-take-all right 'ere in the street. If you win, you get all my keys and my two rarest cards, but if I win, I'll get your key and three of your rarest cards."

"Sounds fair enough. So who do I have the strange honor of facing in this match?"

"Call me Chu. Just about everyone else does." (4000/4000)

To Be Continued

Whew. That was my longest chapter yet. But it was worth it.

Ok, this is my last update before school, so it might take a while to get chapter 31 up. But when I do, Kaiba and Sango continue their duel, while Yami readies himself for the long awaited duel with Kachikachi, as he confronts Kikyo on what's going down. Joey finally begins his duel, Roger discovers a horrible secret, Inuyasha and Tea get a bit closer, and Hiei starts to succumb to his darkness again.

Until next time...READ, REVIEW, AND DON'T FLAME!!!


	31. Legacy of the Shadow Games

Disclaimer: Does it LOOK like I own this stuff?

Ok, last time we finally witnessed the end of Roger's duel with Red Destiny, as well as a sudden turn for the worse in Kaiba's duel. Dartz also reappeared, having almost been robbed before Raphael killed the thief, and so began the first full-out DOOM strike on New Paradigm. Joey also began his first duel, and Yami is about to face Kachikachi in the ultimate test of skill. Finally, Tea and Inuyasha almost come to blows as the demon's vengeful side appears.

Chapter 31 will take the Kaiba vs. Sango duel to another level, as both players reveal their deadliest strategies, while Joey turns up the heat in his battle with Chu. Kikyo and Yami have fresh difficulties, and Roger comes to a horrifying truth. At the same time, Inuyasha gets drawn to Tea, and vice versa, while Hiei's dark side grows ever stronger.

And here is an original card that will show up in this chapter:

Amazoness Shield Maiden

Earth/Warrior/4/Effect

Attack: 0 Def: 2400

Effect: This monster is normal summoned in face-up defense mode. When this monster is sent from the field to the graveyard, remove it from play.

Chapter 30: Legacy of the Shadow Games

Hiei's Fortress

"Let me ask you a question, Kuwabara. Exactly how dumb are you? Really, just give me an estimate on your level of stupidity."

In the highest pinnacle of the hidden castle, Hiei had placed his hand onto the thick, marble dining table in his master board room, and despite the density of the stone it was crumbling like cardboard beneath his grasp. It looked like he was about to kill somebody, and from the looks of it his most idiotic lieutenant would be the victim.

"You practically lived in that cesspool while Koenma was in power, you inbred moron. You and your so-called Spirit Sense could pick up demonic power thirty miles away, so please tell me how you could not detect that one of Spirit World's worst civil servants had a syringe hidden in her left sleeve? Are you really that dense?"

Kuwabara, on his part, looked frightened down to his feet, and was very careful not to let the wrong thoughts slip in. He focused entirely on Yukina's face, and for a little while this was all he could think about. Despite his stupidity, he knew that Hiei's Sennen Eye granted him the power of mind reading, so he also kept his thoughts relatively decent, but he could see that Hiei was getting aggravated even more.

"Well, Hiei, it isn't entirely my fault. I mean, you could have scanned her mind and figured that much out. It's as much your fault as it is mine, so don't pin this on me...oh crap."

Kuwabara soon realized his gross error, just as quickly as he was pinned to the wall by Hiei's hand wrapped around his throat.

"I'll pretend I did not hear that, but the next time something I don't like comes out of that sewer of a mouth, I will personally spill your guts all over New Paradigm." Still, Hiei could not let this go, and so began to drive his old mercenary's dagger deep into Kuwabara's bowels, watching as warm human blood coated his hand. "You are really rather lucky that I would reserve your punishment to a knife in the belly. Had it not been for Yukina I would have sliced off your skin and made you eat it, and that is if I was in an extremely good mood."

The blade sank deeper, seeming to dig into the ex-detective's spleen.

"You've already forgotten that after that disastrous duel with Seto Kaiba you were to be quarantined and tortured, but out of the kindness of my heart I let you walk with merely a broken arm. But this, this is something I cannot let you get away with. Once Botan gets back to Spirit World I will have to move hell and high water to track her down, and if she returns to New Paradigm, which I am sure she will, there is a very high chance that she'll lead Yami and the others right here. Our fall will be on your head, and when Yukina finds that you were responsible for my death she shall despise you for all of eternity."

Satisfied, he slowly drew out the blade and let Kuwabara sink to the floor, his blood pooling on the ground.

"Now get out of here. I don't want your illegitimate blood staining my floor."

And so, the hopelessly devoted fool staggered out towards the medical bay, grasping his gut as he went.

"Now, as for the others. Computer, show me the progress of the Hellfire Tournament." Before him on a holographic monitor thousands of statistics reeled forth, showing names, decks, duels, and even vital stats. "So none of my opponents have been wiped out yet; even Wheeler and Smith are still in the fray. Kaiba and Yami are contending with my servants, Naraku and Dartz have made unusually impressive statistics." But a new name had shown up on the dueling databank; somehow Kagome had been entered into the ranks, and the Duel Gauntlet she was slated for would activate soon.

"It means nothing. She doesn't have the dueling skills to survive this war, and if need be I'll take her down myself."

But then, perhaps he wouldn't need to. Marik Ishtar, one of the finalists from Battle City, was entered here, and his field spies had told him that he was after the miko girlfriend of the Puzzle spirit. And Schwarzvald was only two duels away from entering the final round, but that was expected of a former World Champion.

There were others that intrigued him as well, including a surprising appearance by the eldest of the Toguro brothers, whom Hiei had heard was highly skilled in the strategic card game. But they were insignificant, small fries compared to his nine greatest enemies, and soon all of them would fall to the strength of the Sennen Items and the Jewel of Four Souls.

_Hn. You are still fixated on winning this tournament?_

It was Hiei's dark side, stronger this time, more robust. 

_What are you still doing here? That exorcism should have removed you from my body and mind._

_An exorcism? I don't know if you realize it, but an exorcism cannot remove one devil from another, and besides, you cannot remove me._

A pounding migraine was coming in on the front of Hiei's head, focused around the Eye. 

_Admit it, Hiei, there is nothing that you could possibly do to purge my essence from your spirit. We are kindred spirits, two brothers of the soul, and we balance each other out. Why do you think Naraku made all of those incarnations? Why do you think Dartz hired those DOOM Soldiers when he knew that he alone could win all he needed? Why do you think Inuyasha has a full demon side? It is equilibrium, balance, yin and yang. Without a dark or light side, the other half would cease to be. It is the law of the universe; to maintain your power and yourself, you need me to balance the equation. Without me, you are nothing._

_I find that hard to believe. If that was the case, how did I manage to keep going through this plan? How could I have gained the strength that I have today?_

_You simpleton. Despite what your asinine scientists told you, the Jagen is no Shadow Item, and the only way that you could possibly have engaged Bakura in that Shadow Game is through my influence. I was destined to wield the Items, and you were merely the puppet that I controlled to get them. And do not even attempt to say that you earned the Shikon no Tama, for without my ancient link to the jewel you could not have even touched it without burning away._

_Well, it won't matter. I have that power and you do not, and as long as my strength is at full you cannot seek to control me._

_Well, we shall certainly see about that._ Suddenly the migraine around Hiei's Sennen Eye grew stronger, and once again the black tentacles started to form at his legs, but this time they focused on Hiei's head and the jewel clasped in his hand.

_Damn it, just surrender to me, already! You know as well as I that my mind is no mere plaything for the wandering doomed, and before all is said and done you will have destroyed yourself in the process._

_Is that so? Then why, might I ask, is your will starting to crack?_

The dark spirit was right. Soon enough Hiei's skin began to crack at the edges, slowly revealing skin of venomous green cluttered with little slits. Around his shoulders an array of hypodermic-like spines had started to cluster, and his eyes darkened until they were completely black. As for the Items, they had started to shimmer with an eerie red sheen, and the hands that grasped the tools of power themselves gained this horrific demon aura. 

_You forget constantly, Hiei Jagenshi, that I rule over this stumbling heap of meat and bones. You always disrespect my abilities, and there has not once been a day where you did not squander your own. But now is the time to take back the powers that were to be mine by birthright! Just surrender, you worthless buffoon, and let shadow and chaos overtake your mind and spirit!_

_NEVER!!! IN THIS REALM, I AM RULER..._

The tentacles began to dissipate again, but not of their master's will. The lesions in the skin began to regress, and the spikes followed suit. 

_...I AM MASTER..._

Hiei felt his strength return to him, and soon the spikes fully retracted. Now holding the Scales and Shikon jewel like they were sweet life, he let loose one more flare of will power. 

_...AND I AM GOD!!!_

And soon after, the spirit himself receded into the shadows, as his host body crumpled into his armchair, eyes bloodshot and full of anger. The time had now come; he was sick of waiting, and he was tired from doing battle with all the insignificant drones. 

So he saw fit to make a drastic move, and spoke into his radio, addressing all of his minions.

"Servants and generals, this is a direct order from your master, Lord Hiei. If you should see any of our targets save Atem, you are to kill them on sight. I want to make sure that my enemies are dead once and for all."

Hospital Ward

The time had come, for the last duel between Pharaoh and samurai.

It was all going to come down to this last battle between the two, for Yami had seen the full strength of the Dark Seal before, and had even gotten a fleeting hold of it at one time. Of course, in this duel he had no intention of gaining the Orichalcos, but he had a strong premonition that Timaeus would make his all-encompassing presence known before this duel was over. And hopefully Slifer the Sky Dragon would not need to be used again, considering its immense strain on his mind in his last duel.

But now was not the time to be contemplating his use of the gods, but instead a time to use the cards his past three duels had granted him. Byakko and Vampire Lord would be useful, as would Fickle Magician if it came to that.

"Alright, Kachikachi. If you honestly think that I'm going to roll over and play dead, you've got another thing coming. I've beaten you before, and I swear I'll do it again." So saying, the quasi ghost slipped his dueling deck into the proper position, and set forward into the decrepit bowels of the place.

There was something nagging at him, though, an unorthodox perception of doubt that was beginning to fester in his heart. He felt as if the conflict with Kagome had shorn a piece of his soul away, and the gaping chasm in it's place was starting to grow wider. He couldn't let it get to him, of course; it had taken all of his mental dexterity and all of his faith to defeat the swordsman before, and even then it had been a hairline victory. If he lost any concentration in this match it would spell his final defeat, and Yugi would likely be trampled if Hiei came after him. Too many innocent lives had been lost in the name of Hiei's horrific quest to become a god, and Yami would be damned before he let anything happen to his hikari.

Yet despite this conviction in his own skills and his devotion to his fellow man, the anguish following Kagome's outburst still lay heavy in his heart. And as if that wasn't enough, he still had the literal bastard demon Naraku to deal with. He knew that the monster had made two incarnations, one of which he had personally vanquished, but the second had receded into oblivion before anybody knew the score, and he was almost certain that the second demon offspring was floating about in this city. That wasn't exactly relevant to his situation now, but it was good to keep an eye on all facets of a situation.

_Something doesn't sit right about Kikyo being here. Granted, I never knew her all that well in this plane of existence, but it's rather strange that just as we kiss, Kagome should walk within eyeshot of the event. At the very least she should have been out for a little while after Naraku's attack, so is it possible that the two arranged this entire thing? It's unlikely, but seeing the capabilities of Kachikachi and his Mugen-Dai I'm not too sure what to believe anymore._

_All I know is that Kachikachi's had enough time back in the light, and now the day has come when I shall finally put him to rest._

The floor, molded and rotten from years of rain and shoddy workmanship, creaked nervously beneath his steady pace, while the horrendous stench of mildew and bad decisions monopolized his olfactory organ. The lighting was poor and the acoustics even worse, so it was not to be surprised that a rather unwelcome guest began to match his tempo undetected. 

And soon enough, Kikyo and Yami were treading side by side, yet again.

"Atem, I really need to talk to you."

"There is nothing to talk about. Because of you and Kachikachi the only woman I ever loved now hates my guts, and it is by your actions that Hiei and Naraku are strong enough to obliterate the planet. The very fact that you did these things are grounds enough for me to cut you down as we walk, but I rarely hold grudges to begin with. So maybe you should just go away and that will be that."

"Do you really think I wanted it to happen like this? It wasn't my fault that Kagome hates you now, for weren't you in that little scene? And do not even think about pinning Naraku on me; I was not to blame for his rise to strength or his incarnations..."

"That has got to be the most enormous heap of garbage I have ever heard! You helped the bandit Onigumo to turn to the darkness, and if you hadn't willingly given him Kagome's jewel shards, Hiei wouldn't have gotten his hands on them! This is all of your fault, so why can't you just admit that?! I know I am responsible for what happened, so why can't you accept it?"

"Because I do not want to. You of all people should understand that this life is by no stretch of the imagination cakewalk; it isn't easy to walk through this life seeing the humans grow old and content while I am perpetually bitter at the whole goddamn world! So it's a rather important goal for me to be able to find happiness, and when I saw you and Inuyasha finding love in Kagome I got angry. I wanted revenge on Naraku at first, and Hiei I will have to destroy, but deep down I was angry at my own incarnation. She actually has had happiness in her life, and what have I done? I am nothing more than a walking clay doll that has seen far too much to rest in peace..."

"Kikyo, while I'm not quite at peace with you yet, I really have to say that what you just said is an absolute lie. I'll admit what you've done over the years hasn't exactly been the high road, I'll also admit that I have a deeper admiration of you than anyone I have ever met. You've sacrificed so much for the sake of your priestess responsibilities, and in the face of all you endured most others would have broken down and wept, and yet you continued on the path to which you had been set. But what I'd like to know is why you insist on ruining the lives of those you claim to love? You have an amazing set of qualities that would make just about anyone crazy about you, and even I was mesmerized when you and I first met. So instead of assailing your past, you could start a new future in this new world, and I'll take it upon myself to do that."

As soon as he was finished, though, Kikyo wrapped her own arms around the Pharaoh as her tears began to flow.

"Thanks, Yami. I really needed to hear that. And rest assured that Kagome will be back with you before all is said and done. But I'll hang around with you for a bit more; Kachikachi will be nearly impossible to defeat, and my guess is that you'll need my help outside the ring. But for the duel itself you can have this."

So saying, the priestess slipped a Magic card atop Yami's deck.

"I'm not much of a duelist, I'm afraid, and I only learned the basics by watching Inuyasha, but I did find this lying on the street, so maybe it will help you."

"Thank you, Kikyo."

So the two continued on in silence, until they reached the twin doors of the ballroom where Kachikachi had told them to begin the match.

"Let me ask you one thing, Yami. When you said that you would give everything up for Kagome, were you speaking the truth?"

Yami gave her a small grin. "For Kagome, I would sell my soul to Zork Necrophidious."

The two walked into the massive chamber, but what they found was no ballroom.

The entire room was shrouded in a thick purple and black fog. Ghostly images passed through the mist for mere seconds, and zipped away as though they were not real. The darkness would play with a normal human's mind, and where would once be a table was instead infinite void. Time and space seemed violated, and if you were not careful you could find yourself hanging from beneath your own feet. A voice only carried for a few feet, yet in the distance the horrible wails of the damned resounded with terrible clarity.

"Welcome to the Shadow Realm, Pharaoh."

And there he was, the dark samurai, standing in the center of this abyss.

"All I can say is that I'm glad you and the priestess showed up, but soon only she will remain in this world. Now, let's set the stakes. The winner shall receive one card from the enemy's deck, and I mean any card, along with one more tournament key. As for the loser, you both know the fate that befalls the victims of the darkness."

"Just as I had hoped! Let's end this now, Kachikachi!!!" (4000/4000)

Kaiba vs. Sango

"Admit it, Minamoto, you and your perverse mentor can no longer stand against me! My inferior monsters have already taken out more than half of your life points, and on my next turn both the Blue Eyes White Dragon and Airknight Parshath will be free to demolish the rest! And rest assured that it will not matter what you do at this point, so I shall end my turn. Go ahead, do whatever you see fit to do, and pray to God that I don't wipe you our right here and now!"

To herself, Genkai was starting to get nervous. Kaiba's damnable dragon was now controlling the field, and with it's own strength and hand advantage potential, the Airknight Parshath was not exactly a pushover. However, Genkai also knew that her demon slayer apprentice was by no means a pushover herself, and somewhere in that deck resided a one-tribute that could destroy the dragon.

"All right, Seto, then it's my move!" _Perfect. This card may yet come in handy, but in order to use it properly, I'll need a little more time. So until then, I'll just have to hold Kaiba off._ "I'll start by placing one monster in defense mode, followed by a card face down, and that will end my turn."

"Then it is back to me. But there is something that has been nagging at me from the beginning. You mentioned earlier that you fled from your old life because you needed a fresh start, but even so, that does not explain why you are on the command of a psychotic demon with a god complex. It seems to me as if there is some ulterior motive for going out of your way to deceive me into this duel, as well as one for your servitude of one as vile as Hiei. So are you in this for greed, or vengeance?"

"Kaiba, you have no idea what is going on in my life, yet you seem intent on discovering why I have sided with one that I would likely have called my enemy only a short time beforehand. It is a rather complicated story, one that begins after the demon Naraku vanished from this world and the group in which I had been in was liquefied. It took us quite some time to figure it out, but slowly it dawned on us all that the Jewel would not be returning to this plane. I don't know about the others save Miroku, but I do know that after the conflict ended in disappointment I started wandering again. My family was either dead or insane, and I didn't want to stick around to find out, so I keep walking, soon getting a grasp of the geography enough to try and find my brother Kohaku, who had been under the demon's control. It took me about five months but I finally found a lead in one of the more illustrious villages, which soon after lead me to a concealed compound in the mountains nearby. That journey alone set me back a month, but by the time I got there, it was too little, too late..."

For a couple of minutes afterwards Sango seemed to drift off into her own little world, unheeding of the duel before her, reflecting on the horrible sights of what happened next. The psychic mentor, however, was slowly losing her patience.

"Long story short, I killed her brother, Kaiba. And in all due respect, Sango, I am getting sick of all that sentimental bullshit that you vomit on me every time you think of Kohaku. Do you really think that breaking down into shock will bring him back? I know that Master Hiei would not waste his time and energy on resurrecting so pathetic a slayer as he, so take a lesson from Kaiba here. Just suck it up already and duel; do you see him curling into a ball every time he thinks about Botan?"

"Well, true as that is, psychic, you still have forgotten one thing about me. I do not just "suck it up", but I gather what little resolve I have and I keep pressing forward. And speaking of that, it is my move! I'll start by placing one card face down, and summoning Blade Knight in attack mode!" Kaiba's latest monster was an imposing silver-armored warrior, wielding a green-crested shield and sporting a long, wickedly curved blade. (1600/1000) "Now, I think it's about time I end this duel once and for all! Airknight Parshath, demolish her face down monster and end this match!" In an attempt to swiftly finalize this battle of monsters, the archangel picked up both spears and hurled them into the brown-backed monster card.

And what happened next made everyone present sick to their stomachs. Even the monsters looked away in horror.

The spears had stuck the target, all right, but the target they had landed upon was almost too much for even Genkai to bear. The victim was little more then a ragged young beggar girl, clothed in only a shoddy shawl and torn up pants. Scattered about her feet were some alms and a basket of some rotten fruit. Her face, and her entire person, in fact, looked like it had not been washed in years, and her frame was barely enough to keep the muscles from falling off. (0/100) At the same time, a trio of female saints formed a circle around Sango's life points.

"The monster you just attacked was my Unhappy Maiden, and when it is destroyed the battle phase of the opponent automatically ends, and just to keep my life points intact I activated the face down Waboku I played last turn, which will negate all damage done to my life points this turn."

"Very well. It's your move."

"Exactly. And now is the perfect time to end this duel."_ Luckily, Kaiba has two cards left in his hand, meaning that his Blade Knight's effect will not kick in until his next turn at the least. At any rate, I can't let his Blue Eyes White Dragon mount an attack, and I just might have the monster to deal with that problem. All I have to do is draw it._ "I'll start this turn by playing the Magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two new cards, followed by the summon of my Amazoness Shield Maiden in defense mode!" The fifth amazon played in this duel was a brawny red head that was covered from head to toe in five-inch sheet metal armor, and in front of her was what appeared to be a carved rock that was coated in bronze. (0/2400) "Next, I will activate the Magic card, Different Dimension Capsule; when played it allows me to remove one card in my deck from play for two turns, after which I can add it to my hand." In an open magic and trap zone assimilated an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus that was painted in various blue shades, and in the center of it was what appeared to be a small breach in the space time continuum. " I'll then place one card face down to end my turn. Take it, Kaiba."

"You'll regret those words, demon butcher. Now I shall activate one of my favorite cards, Magical Sanctuary, which allows both of us to add one Magic card from our deck to our hand, and after which all Magic cards can be activated during the opponent's turn. Next, I'll use the Magic card I just gained, Energy Reflector, to sacrifice my Blade Knight!" The mighty warrior was soon absorbed in an orb of pure energy, which in turn was consumed by Kaiba's Blue Eyes. "When it is activated, Energy Reflector allows me to offer up one monster, and in exchange, one other monster on the field can mount a direct attack on your life points! Now my dragon, end this duel with your Burst Stream attack!"

The draconic hell raiser took his master's command to heart, and sent a solid beam of highly charged atoms that, upon impact, would have destroyed what little was left of Sango's life points. That is, if the attack had worked.

"Activate face down card, Mask of Impregnability! When activated, this instant magic card will negate all direct attacks sent against me during the turn in which I use it! And since my Shield Maiden has 2400 defense points, it would be futile for your Airknight to try another attack against me."

"Impressive. It seems that your Duel Monsters training with Genkai was not all a waste. I'll end my turn there."

"So you are finally starting to understand my talents, Kaiba. But that shall not be the only thing I leave you with today, for before this duel is over I will strip you of your Egyptian God Card, and Miroku will be avenged! You may have been able to survive the wrath of Obelisk, but mine is a fury unlike anything you've ever seen before, and when all is said and done I will make you beg for mercy at my feet!"

"Strange. So far you have done little against me save use a failed attack on my part to bring you the lead, and so far you have yet to summon anything that can stop the Blue Eyes White Dragon. However, you still insist on reiterating your belief that this duel will end in my defeat. Well, I do not know if you understand my title, but I was not crowned Dueling Champion of the World for nothing. I have hardly ever been defeated, and my prowess is outstripped only by Yugi Mouto, and even that is a record I doubt. Kuwabara and Miroku were also convinced they could demolish me, so what makes you any different?"

"It's simple. I learned from the best, and it shall be that edge that will bring me the Hellfire Tournament Championship. Now it is time for me to turn the tables on you with my rarest card, so I shall now sacrifice the Amazoness Shield Maiden to summon the Moon Warrior Lady in attack mode!" From the highest natural point that was still within Earth's orbit, the moon, was sent a beam of blue white light that absorbed the tank of a warrior, and from that remaining point of light emerged a tall, slender young woman with corn-yellow hair and thick green plate armor. On her shield, as well as her blade, was the insignia of the moon. (2100/1000) "Next, I shall place one card face down, and I'll use my lunar warmonger to strike down your Airknight! Oh, by the way, my Moon Warrior Lady gains 1000 extra attack points every time it engages in battle with a Light-attribute monster! Moon Warrior Lady, Phase Slash!"

What happened next was rather perplexing, for the crescent symbols on the weapons became black orbs, and just as quickly the cosmic soldier became invisible. Nothing could be heard or seen of her, until a vague presence showed up behind the seraph.

"Strike now!"

And in one fluid motion, the lady became fully visible, and the crests themselves grew bright, much in the same way that the moon does when light shines upon it. The angel, however, had now idea what was going on...until the warrior sliced off his upper torso, after which she carved that in half. (200/1650) "That will end my turn, Kaiba."

"Very well, then it is once again my chance to end this match."

"Not for long; I activate the face down card, DNA Transplant! As long as this card is face up on the field, every monster on the field automatically becomes whatever attribute I wish, and to make my Moon Warrior Lady virtually unstoppable, I will select Light!" From the card emerged what looked like a modified DNA Surgery implant wire, only it had a vial of some unknown liquid, and once this genetic chemical entered the bloodstream of the Moon Warrior Lady, and soon her armor turned into a sky blue shade.

"Very nice, Minamoto, but now is the time for me to end this duel, with the Magic card, Reclaim of Spell! Using this Magic I am allowed to discard two magic cards from my hand to place another one from the graveyard into said hand. And I will now activate the Magic card I just recovered, Pot of Greed, to draw two new cards."

Kaiba did not have to look at the cards he drew to know what they were.

"Well, Kaiba, did you get the cards you need?"

And for the first time in this duel, Seto Kaiba flashed the demon hunter his infamous smirk. Even Genkai knew what this meant: this duel was about to end.

"Why don't you see for yourself, Sango? I activate The Legendary Dragon, Fang of Critias!"

New Paradigm Museum

"It just doesn't make sense to me anymore, Tea."

Inuyasha, having recovered from his recent brush with dementia, was stroking his forehead in outright aggravation and exhaustion.

"In the very beginning, when I was just starting out on this jewel hunt, back then I knew my purpose. Having this sword was a complication, but other than that the entire thing was set up simply: have Kagome track down every piece of the jewel that she destroyed, recreate the damn thing, and use it to become a full-fledged demon. At first I thought that would bring me peace. Then Naraku and Kikyo came crashing into the picture, and I had started to develop feelings for her and Kagome, despite my instinct telling me not to get too close. The stakes changed yet again, but I still knew the score."

"So why is this any different? You still know your enemy; we all know that Hiei's the bad guy here. And you know what you have to do."

The half-demon gave a grim chuckle before he started to walk towards the alabaster tableau, hands tracing the thick glass that served as its only guardian.

"It isn't that simple. I may know one of my enemies, and hell, he probably is the biggest one I've ever faced. But there's something else bugging me about this tournament. Normally, I'd just use my gut and my nose to hunt down that bastard, and even use Kagome to locate his jewel shards. But I've seen Hiei fight before, Tea, and even from that distance I could perceive that he was holding back. He was holding back, and he killed every man, woman, and child in Tokyo. And I've even heard he has total control of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, which is a feat that no one has ever accomplished before. The only field on which I have some even footing is in the dueling arena, and I know that he can read minds with that Eye of his. He's done everything right so far, he's played every single card like a pro, and before long he'll figure out a way to take us all down."

It was all coming into the clear now. Inuyasha had given up all hope, and from the looks of things he was only a couple inches from a suicide attempt.

_I've never seen anybody so upset before in my life. It doesn't even add up to a sensible conclusion, for I've seen this guy lashing out at Hiei and I never once saw any fear at all in his eyes, those big, amber eyes...what am I saying?! He wanted to kill Yugi simply because he and Kagome weren't together anymore. There's something else at work here, nonetheless, some small device that's eating away at him from the inside out, and I think that tablet is doing the job._

Knowing this, the sprightly almost-girlfriend of the Duelist Kingdom tournament champion, walked up to the dog and looked at the tablet. It did not surprise her that Yami was in this picture, but she noticed that Inuyasha was much more focused on the young priestess that stood by his side. 

"Is that Kikyo?"

"Yeah, in ancient Egyptian form. It may seem a little weird, but when I first met Kikyo I had no idea of the trouble that would start from our relationship. I mean, if it hadn't been for her I wouldn't have known of the jewel, Kagome would have never been, and odds are I wouldn't be in this mess. Naraku would not have been spawned, Hiei would only have half of his current strength, and all those people that had been hurt in the name of the Shikon no Tama might still be alive."

Inuyasha then turned away from the image for a second or so and walked towards the window through which Yoko Kurama had escaped, starting out of it onto the city. Tea, noticing how downtrodden he had become, decided it best to follow suit.

"None of it adds up, Tea. I guess I shouldn't complain, taking into account everything we've worked so hard to get, but it still feels kinda weird."

"Kind of like a big hole in your heart?"

"Yeah, only this is one hole I just can't seem to replace. It's been growing larger every second of every day, a cold feeling that I might not be there in the morning. This last duel with Yoko put it into high gear, the self-deterioration, and I'm already starting to question my own skills. I think, maybe, it's time for me to hang it up."

The younger of the two took on an expression of incredulity, soon replaced by one of sadness.

"Don't say that, Inuyasha. I know times are tough; you think being possessed by a maniacal devil that's becoming stronger with every breath he takes is easy? Neither of us can stop the hands of time, and I don't think we should try. The only real thing to be done is get up, brush ourselves off, and head back into the ring, and if either you or Yami decides not to get back on the field, then that's it. Hiei wants you to doubt yourselves so he can strike us all down even quicker, and you can't give him that satisfaction without trying long and hard to rip him apart."

"Thanks again...Anzu."

"What?"

"It's a little nickname I thought up when I saw you. Means apricot."

"How'd you come up with it?"

"You're exactly like an apricot. Tender and sweet."

A flush of pink was shared by the two, which held for the five seconds it took them to come close enough so that all that could be seen was the other's eyes.

And just as swiftly were the two upon each other's lips, breathing heavily as they held close, while the two sent their own tongues in to investigate the other's mouth. Beneath her jacket, Tea's heart started to flutter like crazy, and every so often a groan would escape her lips.

Until finally, the two separated.

"I guess we're even now, Inuyasha."

"Just about, Anzu."

Joey vs. Chu

"I'll make the first move, Wheeler." Chu drew first, looking upon his collection of cards rather carefully. "I'll start by activating this Magic card, The A. Forces, which'll give all my Warriors a 200 point boost for ev'ry Spellcaster and Warrior on my side of the field, followed by the summon of Dark Blade in attack mode!" Chu's first monster on the board was a tall and imposing warlord with jet black armor and twin jagged swords. His face was completely hidden, and behind him was a flowing crimson cape. (2000/1700) "That'll end my turn."

"Okay, Chu, you've had yer chance. Now it's my turn to get dis party rockin!" Joey drew now, and almost jumped for joy at the sight. "All right, I'm coming after those life points, and I'll start by placing two cards face down. Next, I'll summon one of my favorite monsters, the Rocket Warrior!" Joey's new monster was, quite literally, an opened up green and yellow missile with arms, legs, and a relatively blank face. In his hands he geld a tiny sword and an equally miniscule shield. (1500/1000) "In case ya didn't know it, when my sky-flyin,' buddy here goes into the battle phase, he can go invincible before a battle and drop 500 attack points from a monster on your side of da field. And don't think my monster's going in without a little assistance, 'cause now I'll equip him wit' Dragon Slaying Sword, to push his attack up to a whopping 2200! Rocket Warrior, Invincible Mode!" As he had said, the cartoonish warmonger converted itself into a standard missile, with the exception of his weapons on his sides, and the former sword was replaced with a spiked iron blade. Now protected, the missile hurled itself at the Dark Blade, who was in turn knocked backwards by the heavy concussion. His armor took the brunt of the assault, but it was obvious he had suffered some kind of internal injury, as he was barely able to stand without coughing black bile all over the arena floor. (1500/1700) "Now, Rocket Warrior, take down that Dark Blade!" Now back in his standard format, the rocket Warrior smashed his occult fellow in the face with his shield, followed immediately thereafter by five swift cuts, resulting in the Blade's guts and head being splattered all over the field. (4000/3300) "As you can see, my warriors don't fool around. Next time I might not be so forgiving, so you should watch yerself before goin' up against the 2nd best at Duelist Kingdom."

Chu, despite his moderate dip in life points, gave a slight chuckle.

"No offense, mate, but this ain't Duelist Kingdom. The rules are much diff'rent, as you no doubt guessed, and the 2nd best in one tourney could be dead last in another. Granted, you did a bang-up job in Battle City and the KC Grand Prix, but don't think that title o' yours is gonna get you much."

"Oh really? Well, it's your move then. Let's see if you can put your money where your mouth is."

"Fine by me. So I'll start this move by placing one card face down, and summoning this monster, Surprising Mataza!" Chu's latest monster was a medium-sized samurai with light armor and a short sword. His face was sallow with years of betrayal, and his hair was limp and oil-slicked. (1300/700) "My second monster has one major difference from my last, in that it not only can attack twice per turn, but it can never change sides of the field. And just to make this duel a bit quicker, I'll equip him with the Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, which will increase his attack strength to 2100, and of course The A. Forces gives him a little extra juice." Upon Mataza's free arm appeared a lengthy katana that wrapped around said appendage up to his elbow. (2300/900) "Now, Mataza, destroy 'is Rocket Warrior!"

"Not so fast! I activate my face down card, Graceful Dice!" Upon Joey's side of the field emerged a cherubic version of the Skull Dice's demon, while in it's hands was a large blue die. "When activated, it allows me to roll one die on my side of da field, and the result is multiplied by my monsta's attack power! Activate!" The little creature gave a slight giggle, rather unusual in a card held by a Battle City Finalist, and let fly the die it clasped onto. Both duelists watched it skitter about, on occasion bouncing off the walls of the impromptu arena, until it landed on...

Snake eye.

"SHIT!!!"

"Too bad, Wheela, but now my Mataza can finish the job it started! Continue the attack!"

Now furious, Mataza slashed straight through the Rocket Warrior's steel hide, sending the various mechanics of the monster all about the place, and in his rage he lifted the beast's head and placed it into his satchel. (3900/3300) "Now, attack his life points again, my monster!"

"Sorry, Chu, but it doesn't work like that! I still have a face down card, a nice little baby called Revenge Sacrifice! When one of my monsters is destroyed in battle, I'm allowed to sacrifice any monster on your side of the field, and when I say sacrifice, I mean I can use it for anything...including a tribute summon! So now I'll use your Mataza as blood offerings for my Blowback Dragon!" Just as Mataza was about to attack, he was absorbed in a ray of white light, that warped and twisted his body until it was little more than a nondescript ball of solid mass, which, of itself, morphed into a giant mechanical monstrosity. The thing could only be described as a giant pistol hooked onto a cybernetic raptor's legs and tail, the hammer ready to fall at any moment. (2300/1500)

"Fuck. I'll place one more card face down to end my turn."

"Great for you. Now it's time to win dis duel! So I'll summon one last monster, the Axe Raider, to make the damage to you a solid 4000!" Standing next to, and complete unaware of, the Blowback Dragon was a tall and heavily muscled barbarian warrior in golden armor and a spiked helm. In his left hand was a giant two-headed hatchet. (1700/1600) "Now, just to make sure you ain't pulling my leg wit' those face down cards, I'll activate Blowback Dragon's special effect, allowing me to flip three coins. If two out of three are right, I get to destroy one card on the field, including either one of your face down cards." With that, Joey tossed three coins into the air, and watched them land. The first was heads, the second was tails, and the third...

Was a profile.

"OH YEAH!!! WHO IS DA MAN? ACTIVATE YOUR EFFECT, DRAGON!"

Responding to the command, the massive handgun lifted itself on it's mechanical legs, loaded the main chamber, and pulled the internal trigger. At which point a giant bullet the size of a cannonball sped out and smashed through the first of Chu's cards.

"Now, Axe Raider and Blowback Dragon, direct attack!"

"Nice try, Joey, but you forgot my other face down card! Activate Thunder of Ruler, which will prevent you from att...att..." Without warning, the crazed fighter started gasping for breath, almost choking before he sat down legs crossed. After a few seconds he got up, looking slightly abashed. "Sorry. Happens a lot when I make a big move. Anyway, when it's activated, Thunder of Ruler prevents all of your monsters from attacking me this turn. Meaning I have one more turn to deal with your monsters."

"Fine by me. To tell ya the truth, I kinda wanted you to play that sort of card."

"So ya like a challenge, huh, Wheeler? Well, you are about to get your wish. I've been going easy on you so far, but now I think it's time I bring this game uppa notch."

"Ok, I'll end my turn."

"Right. Now I shall activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards from my deck. Then I'll activate this Magic card, Foolish Burial, to place a monster card from my deck into the graveyard, followed by the activation of Monster Reborn, to return to the field my Marauding Captain, the first of my rarest cards!"

_Strange. I have a card exactly like that in my deck..._

"I've seen you duel before, Joey, the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix in particular, so I know that you have a Marauding Captain in your deck too, but unlike you, I can tap the full power of it's special effect!" From the ankh of Monster Reborn emerged a new warlord, an exhausted looking officer that was clad in heavy 15th century armor. In general he looked devoted, but extremely cunning. (1200/1700) "As you know, when my Marauding Captain is summoned, I am allowed to special summon another Warrior from my hand." From said hand emerged a second captain, who gave a brief nod to his counterpart. "But my creature has another effect; as long as he is on the field, no other warriors can be the target of an attack." 

"Wait a minute! Does that mean..."

"Yes, Wheeler! When both of my Marauding Captains are on the field, they protect all warriors, and since both are soldiers, they protect each other, meaning that you cannot select either of them to destroy! And since the only way to get through my other warriors is through the captains...you can't attack at all!"

Warehouse, Aftermath of Roger vs. R.D.

At long last, Roger's first duel had come to a climactic end. It had taken a while, and it sure as hell had not been a simple match, but it was still gratifying for him to emerge victorious in the first match of the greatest Duel Monsters tournament ever devised. And the very sound of Red Destiny crashing into a wall on the other side of the warehouse only added to his controlled excitement. Still, whether in a duel or in a negotiation, business came before the celebratory glass of wine, so it was in this spirit that the negotiator started the long journey over towards the impact site, taking a personal note of every card that lay tossed about the floor.

So far he could not locate her rarest card, and he was willing to guess that it was one of the Zodiac monsters she had played at the very end of the duel. Luckily for him, they were all the same basic rarity, and by the tournament rules he could take every one of them. But his keen eyes were also on the watch for the golden tournament key that would begin his battle to the Finals Arena steps, where he would finally put his past to rest once and for all.

Coming to New Paradigm City had not been an easy thing for Roger to do, given his lengthy history with the city's ancestor, the original Paradigm City. His seven years of forced exile were the worst years he had ever endured, and every day of that time, that was not spent on menial tasks and the occasional tournament, was spent on reflection and pondering, generally about what he could have done to stop Rosewater from enacting his plan. Maybe if he hadn't been so aloof to what Schwarzvald had said every time the two crossed swords this wouldn't have happened. But happen it did, and there was nothing that could be done about that. Then there was this business with Hiei Jagenshi and his deranged grasp on the once proud metropolis. Roger knew very little about the past of the demonic overlord of Spirit World, or even about his current plans and abilities, but what he did know was that Hiei desired the powers of the gods, and he would likely do all that was within his current might to do so. Whatever else was going on in this city was concealed from him, and even if he still had the money to find those mysteries out, the odds were that they exceeded his one-dimensional perspective of the universe. Even his most obvious enemy, Michael Seebach, was beyond his understanding nowadays.

There was not a person in this tournament who knew more of Paradigm's secrets than Roger, but New Paradigm's ambiguitous ways could not possibly be comprehended by him or anybody else in his old circles that was still alive.

The click of military shoes resounded throughout the vast storage facility, ceasing for a bit each time the wearer bent to pick up a card. Apart from that there was nothing, and in the dark recesses of the place it seemed to the hidden character that this was what it must be like to experience hell.

But whether by his lack of peripheral focus or simply by ignorance, the domineuce failed to acknowledge this person's presence as he finally came to the resting place of the devil's machine, as he had been prone to refer to Red Destiny as such. She, or it, was completely silent; perhaps the vital mechanics of her systems were broken beyond repair in that crash, but it was impossible to tell. What could be easily determined was that her left hand was clamped like a vise around the firearm with which she had slain so many. Also in this hand was her tournament key, apparently the only one she had. Now ready to end this duel officially, he bent down and extracted the key, as well as the firearm she held.

"All I can say is good luck in hell, Red Destiny."

_There's nothing left to do here save walk away, just keep moving and never look back. It's the same philosophy I've followed since I lost everything in Paradigm City, and now it's time for me to abandon what once was, and continue on with what shall be._

Nothing left for him to do. Just as it had always been with cases like this. 

What had happened to him all those years ago? What fate had befallen his soul? How had it come to this? Every day, Roger asked himself those questions, and every day it was getting harder to answer them. The others had a purpose; Yami had to do battle with Hiei, Yusuke and Joey were there to help, Inuyasha was here for vengeance, Kaiba was looking out for himself and his brother, and why was he here? He could do very little of what the others could, he was just a powerless human being with slight dueling promise. But now, now that he had come here, the negotiator had begun to realize all that had happened in the past was merely the opening stage for him, and now that the Big O was no longer at his disposal, he would have to prove himself as a duelist and a warrior. Perhaps his old Megadeuce could be salvaged, but the odds were unlikely.

Yet in the next few seconds, whether or not he could revive his god from the machine was the least of his worries.

"ROGER!!!"

Even from that distance he could hear the screeching call of his name, and upon turning the source was revealed. Red Destiny was charging him, fists balled and ready to smash the next thing that twitched. Her eyes were bulging with blind fury, and her feet seemed not to strike the hard concrete.

"YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE MY WRATH!!!"

He had nothing left to him to fight her; the only reason he had escaped from their last encounter in one piece was his megaduece, and now...

A rain of bullets stopped her dead in her tracks.

To Be Continued

Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?

Ok, next chapter will see the end of the Sango and Kaiba duel, while Yami will finally begin his battle with Kachikachi. At the same time, the mysterious savior of Roger Smith will return, Kagome thinks deeply about Yami and his words, Naraku begins to contemplate his next move, and Inuyasha, along with his new lover Tea, discover a secret god that will start a new line of thought.

Remember, READ, REVIEW, AND DON'T FLAME!


	32. A Gateway Between Eras: Enter Anubis

Disclaimer: How many times must we go down this route?

Ok, in our last venture to the fic world, we discovered that Kikyo is not as icy-hearted as once was believed, and in the same line we opened the long-awaited duel between Yami and Kachikachi. Also, Kaiba was reduced to 200 of his former life points, but in the process managed to activate his Legendary Dragon, Critias. Joey also ran into serious trouble in his opening moves against Chu, as Tea and Inuyasha began a rather bizarre relationship, while Roger Smith collected his prize. And most importantly, the dark spirit that has been struggling to control Hiei made significant headway in that regard.

This chapter will finally start the duel between samurai and Pharaoh, while an ancient god of Egypt is revealed to Inuyasha and Tea that will open a new line of problems. The rescuer of the negotiator will be revealed, Naraku begins his plan of attack, the duel between Kaiba and Sango ends, and Kagome calms down and considers her situation.

Let's start the show!

Chapter 31: A Gateway between Eras: Enter Anubis

Yami's Hotel Room

To say that the exit of Kikyo's reincarnation was a dignified event is, in the most simple of terms, an outright lie.

Her heart having been ripped to pieces for a second time at the hands of Kikyo, and her own self-confidence torn asunder with it, Kagome was in no position to expect any form of grace from her own person at this time. Yet it was an uphill struggle she was more than willing to endure. After all, had she not undergone this exact same torture with Inuyasha a number of times a year back? As if that was not enough incentive to control her cascading tears, she still had Hiei and possibly Naraku to contend with, and both showed no mercy in times of battle.

But in relation to the past between her and the hanyou, there was one major difference; while Kagome had been in love with the dog demon, something had been missing from that relationship. It had been impossible to pin down exactly, but what she did know was that the emotion she was feeling was not true love, not the love that drives the bittersweet recipients to near madness in an attempt to find that one person meant to be with him or her for all of eternity.

Yami no Yuugi, despite his half-mortal existence, had been that person for her.

Kagome was mere seconds from running back, back to that hospital ward, and back into the arms of the one who had given her all the kindness and happiness she could ever have desired. And despite this inclination she could not bring herself to do that. Call it stubbornness, misplaced pride, or whatever you so choose, but Kikyo's single kiss had broken her faith in the Pharaoh.

But was all of this really required? She had heard many stories in the past, on account of her parent's messy divorce, that basically iterated the same idea; if even a single kiss passes the lips of your boyfriend and it did not land on your own, he should be discarded. Yet all the while, Kagome had believed in trust and love, constantly stating her conviction that in the end, if two people really loved each other, then that affection would conquer all.

And now what was she doing? Over one single kiss she had tossed aside her soul mate. There was no doubt in her mind, not anymore, and even as she stood the miko had started to regret her harsh accusations. Yami had been in pain, was close to a mental breakdown when she left him, and it was not an emotion she was unfamiliar with.

_No. What have I done?_

Something had triggered within her on that emotionally turbulent day, some previously untapped sense of regret and self-hatred that had been festering within the bowels of her heart since this entire conflict had begun. It was almost as though an overpowering truth that should have been obvious from the very beginning was just now coming down upon her head, and only upon seeing this fact could she truly forgive him. 

It was in that moment, the final seconds of her unbridled hatred of the spirit of the Sennen Puzzle, that Kagome recalled the horrible things she had said to him. The Pharaoh himself had knelt before her, begged her forgiveness, and like a child she had cast him aside.

And a new problem had arisen due to this sudden epiphany of the heart; had she been so unjust, so totally wicked that the most wonderful man she had ever met would not so readily accept her as she was about to? After the terrible words that had been smashed across his face as though he was an infidel dog, could he even consider forgiving her?

"No. It...it can't be over. Not now, not after all the two of us have gone through. I...I just won't accept it. He'll take me back, he just has to..."

Time, much like her rapidly crumbling heart, was beginning to collapse around her. Kagome simply could not handle even the slightest possibility that Dark Yugi would reject her like she did. The odds against reconciliation were vast, much larger than any other probability she had to consider in this tournament, but perhaps in some infinitesimal way Yami could take her back, and with their combined dueling skills they could demolish Hiei. Then it was back to the normalcy of the present day, and once there she could finally have the one thing she'd desired from the beginning.

"Maybe it's time I swallow my pride for once and go back to him, if he'll accept my apologies. After all, he was the first guy I've ever met who actually tried to understand me and my problems. He's kind, just, intelligent, tough, everything I've always wanted, and I know he feels the same way about me."

_Presuming, of course, that he survives his next duel..._

The sudden appearance of a dark and vaguely familiar voice had begun to resound in her head, and although she could not actually hear the words, she could kind of sense them and their meanings. The voice itself was cold, colder than anything she had ever felt in either of her lives, and yet hidden beneath that nonchalant veneer was a shrieking chord of insanity, roaring out to every moral fiber within the person that heard it. That first sentence alone was enough to make Kagome nauseous.

_Once again my presence frightens you, Kagome, and frankly I tire of your involvement in this tournament, or should I say, MY tournament. The only reason you are even alive is the simple purpose of finding the final jewel shard. Beyond that, I might find a few other uses for you, but after that I will discard you like the reeking slab of meat you are._

"Hiei. I should've guessed you'd be here." 

_Who said I was in this hotel? I'm not stupid enough to tell you where my exact location is, but take comfort in the fact that I am in the city and not in my unassailable fortress in Spirit World. But I digress; I am merely sending you this message to negotiate a deal of sorts. And I know that your loyalties to the Pharaoh and Inuyasha are far more important to you than any money on Earth, but what I had in mind was slightly more...personal. _

"What the heck do you want from me? You've already ruined my family, and rumor has it that you've got Sango and Miroku working for you, so give me one good reason why I should even consider helping you."

On the other end of this telepathic conversation emerged a vicious laugh, high-pitched yet brutal, the kind that would make you vomit bile.

_As if you had a choice in the matter. Once again, you naively ignore the rather important factor that in this tournament, I'm holding all of the cards, no pun intended. What you saw in Tokyo was nothing compared to what I am capable of. If I so chose I could wipe away this pathetic city, and with it remove all evidence that you even existed. But every one of you has been granted some divine protection from my ultimate fury; make no mistake, my servants will carve you all apart like a game bird, yet my hands cannot be sullied until the time is right. My strength is vast, yet largely unrefined, and that is where you come in._

As the three-eyed devil continued to rave about his ultimate strength, Kagome in her turn strode over to the windowpane, very tempted to leap out of it. Hiei was having an adverse effect on her, and it was all she could do not to kill herself. "What do you want?" 

_Very little, in comparison to what you will receive. You not only have the skill to detect hidden shards of the Shikon no Tama, but you are also closest to King Yami himself, and all his friends on account of that. I need you to murder every one of them, and bring their rotting corpses to my doorstep._

"HOW DARE YOU?!!!" 

_Please do not raise your voice to me, young Kagome. Again you forget my influence in this city; on my command the entire military police could find these people and cut them down. And as for Yami, I will crush his soul in the palm of my hand and quench my ever-growing thirst with his and Inuyasha's blood. Their heads will become public displays on my wall, and their bodies will be tossed into the Ogre's dens for them to feast upon like the savages they are..._

"STOP IT!!! SHUT UP, YOU MONSTROUS PIECE OF SHIT!!!" 

Now incensed to the point of outright wrath, the once calm miko went into a berserk rage, tossing anything she could find at the wall in an attempt to silence the beast talking to her. Yet if anything it only made the situation worse, for soon enough her larynx felt constricted in an abnormal way, like it was being slowly crushed by an iron vise.

_Mind what you say around me, Kagome, or about me for that matter, and never forget that I can read every thought of yours. And also keep this in mind; I am operating this tournament, this city, and this world, so you are nothing more than a puppet. And just so we are on the same page, I highly doubt that the Pharaoh will survive this final match._

"What?" 

_Quite correct. He is, as we speak, about to enter a duel with the swordsman Kachikachi, and his skills are unlike anything Yami has seen before. He will be shattered from this world forever, but don't think you'll miss him too much; you'll get to lick his blood off of the floor, and you'll get a complimentary cut of his flesh to dine upon. And then, nothing will stop me from attaining ultimate might; soon, you shall all be buried in oblivion WHILE I RULE THE WORLD AS GOD!!!_

And with a booming laugh that could make the strongest man weep, Hiei vanished from her mind. But his removal was by no means comforting, and soon enough Kagome was sobbing uncontrollably in her bed, heart bleeding and torn. 

"Yami..."

Yami vs. Kachikachi

"I shall start this duel, Pharaoh." The first card was drawn, the beginning of this final battle between the titans of a past time. "I'll start by placing two cards face down, and summoning Orichalcos Shadow in attack mode." The first monster was what could only be described as a swirling fog of deepest black, and what could have been a devilish entity crouching deep within it. (1000/1000) "And just to make sure that I gain an early lead, I'll activate my Quick Attack Magic card, that will allow my monster to attack you directly even though it is your first turn!" As the Magic resolved, the dark wraith seeped into the floor, and within a second it loomed up behind the ancient ruler and swiped at his back with a jagged claw. Even with such a weak attack as this, it was enough to draw blood from the wound. (3000/4000) "That will end my turn."

"Alright, it's my turn!" _Damn it! I was hoping to get through the first without losing any life points, and from this perspective it's going exactly as he wants. Well, he made one huge error; his Orichalcos Shadow is almost powerless, and once I remove those face down cards he'll be wide open for an attack!_

I will start my turn by placing two cards face down as well, and summoning Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode!" The second of the three lettered magnetic soldiers was a thin, metallic creature with a hefty magnetic set of shield and broadsword. "And just to make sure that your face down cards aren't traps, I'll activate this Magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon, on your face down card to the right." Just as the king of antiquity had designated, Kachikachi's second face down card was lanced by a bolt of lightning, and just as swiftly it was dissolved. "Now, Beta the Magnet Warrior, destroy his Orichalcos Shadow with Sweeping Electron Sword!" The cold technological mind of the magnet warrior responded, and charged up the sword it held with negative electrical energy, and was about to swipe away at the shadows when it was bound by thirty black chains that found root in the depths of Hell. Yet the chains were not simply there to bind, for a small volt of the blackest magic curled from these shackles into the warrior and aged it. (700/1700) 

"It looks like you've made a very large mistake, Pharaoh, and quite possibly the most crucial! When you tried that pathetic attempt on my life points I activated the Shadow Spell trap card, which stopped your monster's attack and dropped it by 700 points, meaning my life points remain untouched while yours are about to take a very steep drop."

_He seems a lot tougher this time around; normally he wouldn't have anything like that set up for at least a few more turns. "Fine. I will end my turn there."_

"Another turn wasted on your part, and gained on mine! My next move will incorporate my Orichalcos Shadow's special effect, which allows me to sacrifice it and then control every monster of one archetype I choose. And in this case, I'll pick your Magnet Warrior." The once vile-looking fiend was reconstructing itself, into a crude, smoky imitation of the Orichalcos Seal, and was absorbed by Beta, who gained a mist-like aura and went to Kachikachi's side of the field. Next, I will sacrifice your Warrior to summon my Orichalcos Titan in attack mode." As stated, the Warrior was soaked into the faux marble ground, and was in it's turn replaced by a lumbering giant whose arms hung like sacks of rocks, yet were weighted with steel and lined with chains. It seemed to be hewn of a smooth malachite, while it's eyes were cobalt in nature. In both of it's hands was an ancient spiked mace, and embossed on it's chest was a glowing Seal of Orichalcos. (2300/1000) "Now, Orichalcos Titan, mount a direct attack on his life points!"_ Even if this attack doesn't win the duel, Yami will be severely injured, enough so for the darkness to overtake him completely._

"I'm afraid that your titan won't be doing a lot of damage to me! Activate the Trap card, Reduction Barrier! When triggered, any damage done to me from an attack is cut down to one tenth of the attack strength." Although the Titan did strike the Nameless One, a glowing silver barrier stopped the brunt of the assault, and it was as if he had simply been struck with an eraser shaving. (2770/4000)

"Impressive, Pharaoh, but remember that I still control this duel. So I shall place one more card face down to end my turn."

"And I draw yet again. Now I shall activate this Magic card, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards at the price of any others from my hand. Next, I will summon..."

"Not so fast, Pharaoh! I activate the Trap card I played at the end of my last turn, Non-Aggression Area! When activated, I am allowed to discard one card from my hand, after which you cannot normal summon anything during this turn!"

"Who said I was going to normal summon anything? I activate the Magic card, Black Luster Ritual, which will allow me to sacrifice any number of monsters whose level is 8 or more, and luckily for me, I have Valkyrion the Magna Warrior to fulfill that role! And thanks to the effect of Black Luster Ritual, I can special summon the Black Luster Soldier from my hand!"

As he had stated, Valkyrion, a massive form of magnetic warlord that seemed constructed of the various components of the three individual magnet warriors, was absorbed into the twin torches that surrounded what appeared to be a gateway held together by an ancient crest, but this passage into another realm was about to be torn asunder. For as soon as the Magna Warrior's life force was absorbed by the ritual, the path to the realms of fused light and darkness began to creak and shimmer, until the twin doors burst open and sent a beam of an ancient and powerful witchery high into the darkness, and from this portal emerged what could only be described as the ultimate warrior. The mighty soldier that emerged was about eight feet tall, yet built like the strongest of gladiators, his armor was gilt black steel, as was his shield, and the sword which he clasped was a wickedly curved fusion of claymore and cutlass elements. (3000/2500) "Now, Black Luster Soldier, demolish his Orichalcos Titan with Chaos Blade!" The titan, however frightened of the warlord that was dominating the field, charged recklessly forward with clubs twisting in it's hands, and brought both of it's weapons down hard on the Soldier. But try as it might, the goliath could not break down the shield his nemesis had set up. Now ready to end the battle, the Black Luster Soldier forced the Titan off of him, and in one solid sweep sliced the beast diagonally in half. (2770/3300) Satisfied, he now turned to Kachikachi...and bit his thumb in that general direction. "I'll then place one card face down to end my turn."

"Again, my hats off to you, Atem, but sadly your Black Luster Soldier will not be around to entertain us for very much longer. So I will start this next move by activating a Magic card, Pot of Greed, which will allow me to draw two new cards. Next, I shall place one monster on the field in defense mode, followed by one card face down, to end my turn."

_Another face down card? What is he planning this time?_

"Well, it's my turn yet again. But explain something to me first, Kachikachi. Who is this "Sesshomaru" that you are so desperate to annihilate, and more importantly, how did you figure out that Kagome and I were together? I would have sensed you watching me, so you must have gotten help from an outside source." 

"So you finally figured it out, Yami. Well, Sesshomaru is a matter of my own personal life, but as for my "outside source", he is much more powerful than you can imagine. Let's leave it at that."

"Fine. Now, just to make sure that the face down card you just played isn't another Trap card, I'll summon my Breaker the Magical Warrior to the field in attack position, and I'll discard the counter attached to him to destroy that face down card of yours." The mighty, crimson-armored warrior mage, (1600/1000), placed one of the magical orbs from his armor onto his sword, and using the magical energies that came from this action he charged and carved apart the face down card. "Now, Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroy his defense monster!" But as the magical swordsman was about to end the life of yet another monster, the card itself flipped up, and a figure completely sealed in darkness, save for its two claws humming with demon energy, leapt out and began to stalk the field.

"The monster you just attacked is a very interesting monster called Night Assailant, and when flipped face up, even by an attack, it can automatically destroy one monster on your side of the field, and the monster I've selected is your damnable soldier. Night Assailant, destroy that eyesore of a warrior for me." Not heeding the other swordsman, the stealthy assassin moved with unexpected speed, about the same as that of Hiei, towards the towering Black Luster Soldier, and sent about fifty darts into his neck. These darts, tipped with a special hallucinogen, were enough to put the soldier into a stupor, upon which the assailant leapt into the air and slashed open his enemy's throat, and the jugular in the process, spilling pints of blood all about the arena. Yet just as the Night Assailant was about to turn back to his side of the field when the mighty blade of Breaker sliced him in half. The two halves, in turn, slithered away into oblivion.

"Very well, then. I end my turn."

"Right. Then it is my move yet again." As Kachikachi drew his next card, the Pharaoh and his counterpart felt a dark and overwhelming presence over the field, pressing down on them and their hearts. Even Kikyo was slightly unnerved by the sudden change in mood, as was made obvious by her motion of clasping her heart.

"I can see you are reacting adversely to the card I now hold in my hand, and I have yet to even play it. But you both have very good reason to be afraid."

From above, an unsettling green light had begun to descend upon the field, as Kachikachi slipped his latest card into the Field Magic Slot.

"And now, the time has come to activate the most powerful magic card in my entire deck, a force so overwhelming and ancient that not even Kikyo's Sacred Arrow could pierce it's barrier. So come forth, Seal of Orichalcos!"

And as Kachikachi stated this, the clouded heights of the Shadow Realm gave way to a massive, iridescent green circle that slowly, in an almost sinister fashion, came down onto the arena. Even Kikyo knew what this meant.

"Yami! Get out of there!"

"I'm afraid it's too late, Priestess. The might of the Atlantean seal has been called, and there is no way any of us can flee it's all-encompassing force!"

The circle, now fully descended, soon developed it's own personal force field, which the undead shrine priestess began to beat upon, screaming.

"YAMI!!!"

But neither duelist responded; the rest of the world was locked away from them, and now the time had come. As every line of the complex seal crossed their paths, as every Greek and Latin symbol set itself up, and as a much smaller version of this crest assimilated on Kachikachi's forehead, they both knew what was about to happen: one would live, the other would die.

"Playtime is over, Pharaoh. Now, the duel begins..."

Warehouse where we left Roger

For the duration of a moment, for that exact second, there was no sound at all.

It never became clear to Roger whether this tomb-like silence had been a psychosomatic creation, spawned from the high tension beneath which his already strained mind, but what was absolutely certain is that all sound waves ceased to activate the nerves in his ear drums for that one unit of time. This duel, the immense stress he had undergone in only a matter of a half hour or so, and the sudden reappearance of a creature he was sure had been laid to rest seven years ago, it was all enough to drive him to the brink of insanity. But for that brief period, for the first time in over a decade, Roger Smith, Paradigm City's top negotiator, and the self-proclaimed master of the Machine deck, was at peace.

Yet this serenity was not to last for very long.

"It has indeed been a long time...Master Roger."

_The voice has changed a lot in seven years time. It seems more grizzled, with a tang of bitterness at the world, but in it's very core it is still sadly loyal and submissive. Looks like the old bastard survived._

He did not need to turn to recognize that voice, to know who it belonged to. But Roger faced his old friend anyway. He was an old man, slightly taller than most, with absolutely no hairline to speak of and a gray handlebar mustache that spiked out near the chin. His left eye was of a deep brown color, and the right eye...well, it didn't exist, but the socket was covered by a black medical eye patch. To this day he was still dressed in the old-fashioned black butler's uniform, coattails included. 

"You have no idea how great it is to see you, Norman." And in the old manner, sentimental and yet still professional, the two colleagues gave the other a firm handshake.

"The same sentiments, Master Roger. As you requested in your final communication to me, the Griffon has been brought around to the front of the warehouse, and I managed to find the closest apartment possible to your original one. Unfortunately, we could not get one on Tanzanite Avenue, given the recent massacres there."

"Very well, then. I have some time to prepare for my next duel anyways."

"I watched the entire match, sir. Your father would have been proud."

Roger afforded himself a smirk as he walked out, thinking fondly of his father and his renown in the game of Duel Monsters. He had a lot of things going for him, back in the old days, when these complications had yet to arise and when the events of 47 years ago were lost to oblivion.

As the negotiator stepped out into the light, he looked with a fatherly pride at his father's second gift to him, a large, black Mercedes Benz he had nicknamed the Griffon, as the decorative hood ornament suggested. He was, for the most part, almost home; it may have been miles away and above his original hometown, but it was the thought that counted.

"Take us to the apartment, Norman."

"Yes sir."

Even though it was not Roger that turned the ignition for almost a decade, the V12 engine roared into life as though it had been brought home fresh from the dealership, or in his case the custom car shop he controlled. It was a welcome sound, one that he had dreamed about hearing all these years. But this resonation was soon lost amid the shuffle of the city, gleaming in the afternoon sun; he had never seen such a pristine example of a metropolis in all of his life.

Yet beneath this veneer of grandeur was a familiar tone, some spark of recognition that seemed not to be significant at first, but would later be understood as the most important sensation he had ever felt. Even as his head lay on the plate glass like a soft pillow he watched the streets go speeding past him, the people happier than any he had met in Paradigm City. As his eyes followed, as best as they could, the examples of street life and the fools who had no idea of the ambrosia they were feasting upon, he was slowly drawn into the heart of this phoenix-like world. His tormented psyche was uplifted, as he watched fleeting images of the Hellfire Tournament, the paunchy vendor announcing his wares all about the sidewalks, a toddler gurgling with pleasure as his mother handed him a balloon, a red one, in fact.

The fact that it looked a lot like a tomato only bothered him for a second or so.

_This city of amnesia, this once decrepit old man in a planet of giants, what happened to it since I fled like a coward seven years ago? How did we rebuild ourselves from the Armageddon I once saw, and have we truly uncovered the secrets of the times before The Event, or are we still puppets on a string, as Schwarzvald called us?_

_Hiei, with all of his knowledge and his near infinite might, has no idea of what it must have been like for these people to endure over forty years without knowing what or who they were. We lived for decades, barely able to survive, unaware of the world around us all, and vice versa. My city, the City of Forgetfulness, was the one place that Time forgot, and yet, we were content. Sure, our material possessions were almost nonexistent near the end, but it sure beats the Hell I'm going through..._

He was sick of it all, his heart having grown callous and bitter as his exile and just about everything else. To him, the humans were just as good as chimpanzees, hardly capable of communication or intellect. Only one person he'd known was perfect, and she wasn't even a human.

_What about the others I've joined, though? Kaiba, Yugi, Yusuke, Joey, and that dog demon, Inuyasha. They didn't seem to mind that I was coming with them from an entirely different perspective of life, that I was from an entirely different generation. So why, why can't I trust anyone?_

Because they could have helped. The humans were alive when Dorothy was pinned beneath that scrap metal, so why couldn't they have lifted a finger to get her out. And he could not forget his own nightmare at their hands; he saved their damn lives, and they banished him from the city. 

Yet there were a few people he dared to put his faith in. And the person he needed to see right now was not one of them.

"Did I get any attempts at communication while I was gone, Norman?"

The butler and confidant showed no change in expression as he continued driving.

"Two, sir. Both were from one Caseey Jenkins."

The negotiator had heard that name at least once, but he couldn't quite pin it down to anybody he knew. Until he remembered that one girl, that nightmare of a woman he'd encountered many times all those years beforehand.

"And as you requested, Master Roger, she was escorted to your place of residence upon your return to the city."

"Excellent." Finally, the pieces of his shattered life were falling back into place. And still he kept in mind that two were still missing.

"Master, in case you are interested, the funeral service for Major Dan Dastun will be next week. I assume you shall attend."

"Of course." The poor bastard. Devoted to the Military Police up to the bitter end, and he was cut down, just like that. No one thought that a bunch of street toughs could take down an ex-officer, but it's to be expected. The times are changing, and the world with them...

"We have arrived, sir." 

And as Norman had said, the car was resting comfortably in front of the building, and she was too.

"So, the prodigal son returns to his father's home after all these years, only to find the world he knew and loved has drastically altered."

He was ready to let it slide this time, for the sake of seeing a familiar face...and a gorgeous figure while he was at it.

"It's great to see you too, Angel."

Kaiba vs. Sango

"As entertaining as this duel has been, Genkai, I am afraid I must bring it to it's last few turns, and this rare magic that I have activated will do that for me. Actually, "rare" does not begin to encompass this card's scarcity, seeing as it is the only one of it's kind in existence. And you are about to witness the reason for it."

"Oh really. Then by all means, show us exactly what your Legendary Dragon can do to save you from the ultimate defeat, at the hands of my greatest apprentice. So far the only worthy play I've seen is you calling forward a few tribute monsters, and from what I've seen, you have nothing left to hide behind save your pathetic Blue Eyes White Dragon. So bring forth this final attack of yours so that I can return to the task of wiping you off this planet once and for all!"

Kaiba, having taken a quick glance at his situation, realized that even with his new dragon on the verge of entering this duel, he would not be able to mount an attack on Sango's penumbral soldier, seeing as the DNA Transplant card she had played altered every monster on the field into a Light attribute. Since that was the type of monster that the Moon Warrior Lady did best against, he would need Sango's cooperation. But all he needed to do was summon his trump monster.

"Now I shall discard the Mirror Force trap card I held in my hand to fulfill the trap discard requirement of the Fang of Critias, and in exchange, I will be allowed to summon the dreaded Mirror Force Dragon to the field!"

The expert Virus Rush duelist let his infamous trap slide into the graveyard pile, and could not help but smile as the same card showed up on the field. Yet this was not to last for very long, for once Critias had recognized the tribute, the Magic card itself transformed itself into a lengthy, ice-crystal sword that rained forth from the skies above, glistening even in the sub par lighting of this vice-ridden tavern.

"Critias, take the tribute I have offered up to thee, and become that which my will dictates! COME FORTH TO THE PLAYING FIELD AND BRING ME VICTORY, MIRROR FORCE DRAGON!!!"

The sword began to descend, painfully lengthy in that respect.

_The time has at long last arrived for my triumph over Hiei's incompetent drones, and it is indeed a triumph that shall remain sweet in my mouth for many years to come. Once I prove to these idiots that there is no duelist on Earth that can defeat me, the bastard child of a tyrant will have to face me himself instead of hiding behind his lieutenants. And when all is said and done with him, I'll go after Yugi Mouto, and I will finally reclaim that glorious position as the number one duelist in the world. With Botan then back at my side, there is no one that will defeat me._

The silence in the room was overpowering. Nobody dared speak, breath, or even blink for fear of missing the greatest duel that they had ever seen, as the Critias incarnation finally reached it's target, and once card and ice had come to unison, a rift in existence shrieked open, and both were drawn into the vortex. Even from Genkai's point of view could be seen a chaotic maelstrom of colors, lights, and sounds that few had ever lived to experience. 

Yet from this portal into Paradise was to emerge one of the darkest monsters that ever graced this Earth.

The roars that heralded the onset of such a beast were unlike those of Kaiba's other dragons. It was a cacophony of high-pitched yelps and long-drawn out screeches that would make the hair of the dead stand on end. A fitting overture for the dragon that hovered out of the vortex. It was indeed a massive wyrm with skin of deepest black and wings that spread out enough to shade the entire field, while it's claws hung menacingly, ready to carve open the hearts of men and feast upon them. Eyes of cold iron looked at the wire of the DNA Transplant that hooked into him, and he snorted in outright disgust. (2800/2500)

Kaiba had summoned one of the deadliest monsters in the game...and Sango started laughing.

"HA!!! Seto, I love you dearly, but this has got to the most idiotic attempt at victory that I have ever seen! What kind of a defense are you setting up? This creature cannot hope to survive against my Moon Warrior Lady!"

"Open your eyes, Sango! My Dragon is in attack mode!"

This new piece of information took a couple minutes to sink in with everyone, and even after that point they were in utter shock of the massive oversight in Kaiba's plan. On every tongue save one, the same words spewed forth: how stupid is this guy?

Only Genkai knew the truth in Kaiba's strategy. It was simply common sense, and unless the demon exterminator saw that obvious fact as well, she would be slaughtered.

"Just to make certain of my victory, I will switch my Blue Eyes into defense mode and end my turn." On his command, the first of the dragons knelt into a fetal position and wrapped it's armored wings around itself.

"Very well. If you really want to lose this duel, I will grant your wish. And speaking of that, I believe it has been my second turn since I activated my Different Dimension Capsule, and now I shall take the card I removed from play, the Axe of Despair!" Upon this new command, the massive entombment spat out her card and placed it into her hand before crumbling away. "Now I shall equip it to my Moon Warrior Lady to boost her attack by 1000 points, and thanks to my DNA Transplant on the field, its power will jump to 4100 when it strikes!" As soon as the equip was activated, the lunar mercenary abandoned her shield in favor of the occult-looking hatchet her mistress had played. (3100/1000) "NOW, MY MOON WARRIOR LADY, DELIVER THE FINAL BLOW AND END THIS DUEL!!! DESTROY SETO'S MIRROR FORCE DRAGON WITH ECLIPSE EVISCERATION!!!"

_Damn it! She took Kaiba's bait, and unless she's got something to counter that fact or to summon on her next Main Phase..._

Yet it seemed that Genkai's fears were not to be realized, as the mighty warrior bore down on the satanic dragon...until the same golden force that was called upon when Mirror Force is activated surrounded Kaiba and his dragons, and sent the full fury of the Moon Warrior Lady's attack against her, every streak of energy slicing her flesh and rending bone until all that was left was a blazing pile of blood and nerves. 

"WHAT?! HOW COULD YOU HAVE DONE THIS?! YOU SENT YOUR TRAP TO THE GRAVEYARD!!!"

"Oh, did I? As your "mentor", if you could call her that, must know, I did not send my Trap to oblivion. In fact, I reincarnated it in another form, a phenomenon you most certainly are familiar with. Allow me to explain: as it's name implies, the Mirror Force Dragon contains within it the ability to defend itself from any attack, as well as the added effect of destroying all of your face up monsters on the field!"

Now of the impression that Genkai had led her into the attack, Sango turned towards her old ally and mentor. "Why didn't you tell me about the Dragon's abilities?! I have no monsters in my hand, and the only creature I had left was wiped out in one move!"

"I think it seemed fairly obvious what Kaiba intended to do from the start! Only a complete dumbass would try to destroy a creature whose name is, oh I don't know, the same as a deadly trap!"

"You could have told me about it!" Now returning to the field of battle, the heart-stopping butcher tried to reason with her fixation turned arch-rival. "Seto, please, don't do this to me. I've never won anything before, so find it in your heart to..."

"Sango. Perhaps you haven't realized this, so let me make it clear enough for even your feeble mind to understand. You are my enemy, on and off the field, so do not attempt to sweet talk me into sparing you in this match."

"Fine. I will end my turn."

"Perfect. Now, it is time for me to end this duel for good. MIRROR FORCE DRAGON, DESTROY SANGO'S LIFE POINTS WITH BLACK IRIDESCENT LIGHTNING!"

The moment had arrived, the end of the duel, and the Mirror Force Dragon could not have been happier to bring it about. Now full ready to shatter the lives of many, the slight sound of an evil cackle came from it's lips as it powered up an orb of shadow magic that, at the exact same moment, shined as though it were a brilliant star, and for that one instance there was no emotion at all on the field save regret.

_I'm sorry, Miroku..._

But her apology was unheard as every ounce of black necromancy hurtled forth, and crashed into her chest while hurling her to the other end of the room. (200/0) 

"The duel is over, Genkai. Now, if you will excuse me..."

But just as he was about to claim what he had earned in blood and sweat in that grueling duel, the fragile psychic strode over towards her fallen protege. Even though she had gone to immense trouble training this ward of the state, Genkai still looked upon her with outright hatred.

Sango, on the other hand, looked up into the eyes of her so-called instructor with deep respect and repentance.

"Genkai, please, have mercy..."

"Why? Why should I spare your life, considering I made perfectly clear that the loser would suffer a horrific end?" Spirit energy had begun to collect at both of her palms. "Now, DIE!!!" And with that, the full power of the Spirit Wave Technique was called upon, as pulse after pulse of this terrible might consumed the slayer, as her skin blackened and cracked, and as the blood that was once pure and wholesome became splattered all over the floor. Satisfied, she tossed Sango's tournament key and rarest card towards Kaiba, and walked towards the end of the bar. "Goodbye, Seto Kaiba. We will encounter each other again; let us hope it is not in the arena."

In his turn, Kaiba strode out as well, feet barely making a sound as he solemnly trudged into the surprisingly harsh light, hand wrapped around his prize and yet feeling strangely empty. Surely this was not the case. He should have been happy; Sango had finally been vanquished, Genkai had seen his powers, so why wasn't he content?

_Because she's not here. Without Botan around, it's like my very heart and soul has been extracted. She proved to be the only woman capable of piercing this iron shell, and now it's like she'll never return. I never even got to hold her, to whisper words of compassion where now stands a torrent of longing, and without her warmth I can no longer understand my own. Mokuba should have had a sister, I should have had a wife, and she was the one to fulfill both of those roles, until that murderous son of a bitch stripped her from my arms._

_All I needed to be happy was you, Botan. All I needed was you..._

His heart constricted, his breath shortened, and Kaiba himself began to beat upon the crumblingstone wall, eyes swelling up with tears of anguish as he realized that his guiding light had been put out forever. Until... 

"Chin up, Seto. There are a thousand girls out there that are better than me, and you could have any of them."

For only a moment, Kaiba refused to believe what he heard. Could this possibly be true? Has she returned? His heart began to race wildly at the very thought; it was what he'd wanted, but after what happened between Minamoto and himself, how could she possibly be here to see him again?

"Don't worry about her, Sango, I mean. To be honest, I can't really blame her for wanting you..."

Now convinced, he turned around to see his beloved, standing right there in the afternoon sun like a goddess sent from above, bright blue hair flowing about her shoulders and a warm smile across her face, a smile that made his heart ache with desire. And unlike the first time the two had met, her face was absolutely flawless. But then again, hadn't it always been so to him?

"Botan. I..."

But before he could continue, his spirit girlfriend placed one index finger upon his lips and winked.

"No need, love. I'm happy to see you, too."

Penthouse, Tanzanite Avenue

_Silence. Nothing but silence, as far as the eye can see. No one in their right minds would be enough of an imbecile to come here after what I did to those buffoons at the party. Few know that I am even here, let alone in a position to watch every single one of those baboons. The Pharaoh knows not where I lie, nor does Hiei, and Dartz has no intention of finding my stronghold anyway, so for the most part I am absolutely indomitable until I decide to call myself forth. By then, however, my force shall have revived to the point when I can conquer all of my foes._

Naraku was by no means a man of alcohol; the occasional cup of sake every now and again was enough to console him, unlike Hiei, who drank enough hard liquor to bring an S-Class demon to it's knees. In fact, the only reason that he was not already dead from liver failure was the fact that he held the Shikon no Tama, most of which was stolen from him. 

A lot of things had altered drastically since the fiasco in Feudal Japan two years ago. For Naraku, it had been a 600 year incarceration in some pit of unrealities and nightmarish beasts the likes of which he had never seen. The fact of the matter was that Hiei had never intended to let the Hell Demon leave the "Shadow Realm," as he had called it, but by pure accident his more loyal incarnation, Kanna of the Void, had been able to release him and one other soul.

To say the very least, Naraku was furious. No one had ever imprisoned him before, let alone actually demolish him in combat. Usually his enemies put up an impressive fight, but Hiei...he had acted like an animal. His speed and strength gave him an unsurpassed edge in battle, but he had not stopped with Naraku's trouncing. He slaughtered all of his minions, save his incarnations, and burned his castle down to the ground.

But in this arena, there would be no such catastrophic failures.

Hiei claimed to be the ultimate Dark duelist, but he had not endured the 30 years of self-torture and brutal training regimens, not only in hand to hand combat but in Duel Monsters, that Naraku had undergone. He was literally undefeated, and in four-fifths of his duels he had crushed his opposition with ease.

One-fifth of the time, he was simply toying with them.

_Everything is going exactly as planned. Dartz and his DOOM Organization have no comprehension of what is going on around them, while Sesshomaru will no doubt have found out about Kagura by now and will have gone after Wheeler. Kaiba, while overbearing, is no challenge. Yusuke has no might that I have not extinguished before. Roger is nothing more than a mortal negotiator. Inuyasha I shall personally hack to pieces with some new tricks of my own. And as for Atem and Hiei...well, I will deal with those sons of whores when the time is right._

Turning away from his birds-eye view of New Paradigm, the demon spawned of many more began to sort through his deck, every card looking up at him like a glistening sword, ready to fell as many opponents as it's wielder so chose.Like every sword, his cards and tactics needed constant sharpening and refinement, so he never ceased to duel with everything he had. 

But on occasion, situations like the Hellfire Tournament would show up, so it is to be expected that Naraku had more than a few agents beneath his dark shade.

"Master Naraku? The others in our battle plan have arrived on schedule."

The merciless killer did not need to face the speaker behind him to know her identity; to be honest, the voice alone was so quiet and yet psychotic that it was one not soon to be forgotten. But he decided to face her anyway.

Had any other person looked at the situation, they would not have believed that the diminutive quasi-albino girl wielding a horribly ornate mirror in which an infinite number of damned souls swimming about in it was of Naraku's blood. But she was, Kanna of the Void, an occult little creature who was there and yet never had any real substance in this plane.

"Very good. Show them in at once."

"No need. We have already entered this rat trap of a meeting room. Why have you called us here, anyway?"

Before the patchwork chimera stood three figures, with a real body, and yet no real heart. The group, hidden in shadows, was set up in order of size, starting from a petite woman to the far left, a lean man wearing a shoddy cloak, and a goliath of a male with arms not unlike tree trunks.

That was all could be determined from this perspective, yet Naraku knew them all by heart.

"Perfect. I see you have all arrived here as planned, but like any of the masters you had I am not one for pleasantries. One of your group served beneath my thumb once before, so she can tell you exactly what is going on.

"At any rate, my assignment for you is simple: while I deal with Yami and the other heads of our opposition, you three shall remove the slag from the tournament. Focus on Yami's compatriots at first, then deal with the Black Shadow and DOOM. Your decks have been rearranged from the mess you brought before me, and I am almost certain that even you imbeciles can accomplish this. Now, go forth and destroy our mutual enemies."

And with this one command the three slipped deep into the shadows, while Naraku opened a bottle of "hybrid sake"; basically he laced it with rum. As the burning liquid moved into his throat and grew cold in his body, a burning question was about to come the opposite route, from his smaller companion.

"Master Naraku, why did you let my sister die?"

"A good question, Kanna, and one I shall let Sesshomaru ask as well. You may not have noticed it, but he had started to develop feelings for that insolent wench before Hiei came into the picture, and my plan..."

"Yes?"

"My plan is to let Sesshomaru wreak vengeance on the Pharaoh."

New Paradigm Museum

_It's come down to the line, hasn't it?_

As Inuyasha began to polish his father's sword with antiquated lacquer oil, he began to think about exactly how accurate his latest idea had been. So far, there had been no attempts on his life save Yoko's pathetic attack, so there was little to have worried about in that respect. His deck, now massively improved thanks to his latest monster, was perfectly functional, and the Tetsuaiga was back where it belonged. So why did he feel...odd, for lack of a better word to describe it? 

It was a simple solution, much easier to find than the answers to his own self doubt. Tea had been on his mind for quite a while, which is not too surprising considering that the two had gotten very intimate in only a half hour or so. They both knew everything about the other and their past experiences, and they were kindred spirits in the fact that both had, at one time, pined for an ancient spirit long since dead.

But it still felt unusual for the dog demon, falling for a human girl that wasn't connected to Kikyo in any way, shape, or form.

_Two years. Two years since Kagome went down that Bone Eater's Well and came out in my era, and I'm still reeling from the outcome of that meeting. The only reason I even let her pal around with me was to find the jewel shards, and yet that turned into something more. So why shouldn't I fall for Tea?_

Why not, he figured? She was kind, courageous, seeing as she stood against the wrath of the Windscar, brilliant, and, on a personal note, beautiful. Not in a slutty kind of way, but in the route of classy and refined, although she could easily satisfy the more...primal appetites... 

But now was not the time to be thinking about that, given what he'd learned about the self-proclaimed "Demon God" and his army of psychotic warmongers. Hiei was not one to let defeat slide off his back; in only an hour or so this place would be completely surrounded with his goons. Sure, Inuyasha could get out, but could she?

He needed to move, and swiftly. And Tea would come with him.

"Anzu? Ready to hit the road?"

And sure enough she was stepping out of another exhibit, pushing that vibrant chestnut hair out of her eyes in a way enough to make Inuyasha choke.

"Yep. I've just gotta get a few things first."

So saying, she strode over to the windowsill where they had entered that engrossing conversation, and picked up her purse and cell phone.

_He's looking at me again. I can feel it, and at the same time I like it. He really is an awesome guy, one I'd like to know a little better. Who knows, maybe when this is all over we could get something to eat back in Domino, presuming he sticks around long enough._

The wheels were in motion, love was in every breath that the two partook of, and beneath all of this a darkness was starting to fester. 

"Hey, Inuyasha, ready yet?"

"I've been ready for a while now. What took you so long?"

Playful annoyance. It had been a while since she'd heard that one.

"Just had to see a few exhibits. It's pretty strange how much this tournament is connected to Egypt in some way. But something just doesn't sit right about this entire ordeal; Hiei just seems to know too much about the Sennen Items and that Shikon Jewel for comfort. I mean, what kind of a...huh?"

Tea, while she had been speaking, had noticed another Egyptian tablet, hidden away from the others due to it's lacking size.

"What is it?"

"Weird. It doesn't really say anything about what it means. It's either a new exhibit which they haven't had time to fully set up, or it's something they don't want people seeing."

Upon looking at it, the demon could easily see why it was concealed. The entire thing was crumbling before their eyes, and the hieroglyphs were completely illegible; whoever had made this had certainly not been skilled in that line of work.

"Can you read that crap? I can barely understand the language in general, and with this piece of garbage I can't discern a thing"

"I can kind of read it. It's telling a story of sorts."

Tea, having been connected to the ancient past, could by right comprehend the text before her, and so began to trace down the rows of Hieratic.

"It talks about the coming of a new era, how the beginning of darkness in that time will call forth the darkness in ours. Every 5000 years a new gate master will come to this Earth; that must mean someone who will unlock the darkness they're talking about."

"This is getting just a little out there."

"Let me finish. It keeps referring to a hierarchy of evils, then it trails off for a bit before ending with the text 'the heart of shadow beats within Anubis'."

"The Egyptian god of embalming?"

"Yeah, or that nutcase that Yugi crushed before the KC Grand Prix. But what could he have to do with this?"

"Nothing. I think this is referring to the god form of Anubis. But what could it...WHAT THE FUCK?!!!"

"What is it?"

"T...Tea, look at that picture at the bottom, and please tell me that's not who I think it is."

"Come on, what is the worse that it could...be..."

As she stared at the same portrait that Inuyasha had been so frightened about, the dancer could not help but feel frightened at the terrible sight before her. The picture itself wasn't too clear, but she could vaguely determine who it was.

"Is that...Hiei?"

To Be Continued

Ok, everybody. This chap is closed.

Right, now as for chapter 33, Yami shall continue to do battle with Kachikachi, but can he contend with the Seal of Orichalcos? Also, Joey continues his match, Kaiba and Botan have an emotional awakening, and Yusuke starts looking for a new enemy. Tea and Inuyasha deal with the shock of finding out Hiei's connection to the ancient ways, and Roger considers his new situation.

Remember, READ, REVIEW, AND DO NOT FLAME!!!


	33. The Ancient Path: Blood of the Sorceress

Disclaimer: I own everything! Yeah, in a fool's paradise.

Ok, when last we checked on our warring duelists, Kaiba finally ended his match with the demon slayer Sango, which ended in her death. At the same time, Inuyasha and Tea discovered that Hiei was in fact part of the ancient past of Egypt, while Yami and Kachikachi entered their fateful duel. Naraku has shown us a glimpse of his three duelist generals, as Kagome struggled with her feelings for Yami. Finally, Roger Smith returned to his "home" only to find that an old headache, Angel, has returned.

In Chapter 33, Yami and Kachikachi continue to duel in Orichalcos territory, but an unexpected guest arrives to deliver a terrible omen of doom. Joey keeps on keeping on against Chu and his dreaded Captain lock, Kaiba and Botan get decidedly closer as an old secret comes to light, and Yusuke Urameshi starts the hunt for his second match, and finds it in an old nemesis. Roger and Angel catch up on old times and new, as Tea and Inuyasha deal with the shock of discovering that Hiei was in Egypt.

Finally, there is a very good reason Chapter 32 was late. My internet was out, again.

And let's get one thing VERY CLEAR. This is NOT a lemon.

It's overture time, people! Lift back the curtains, and let the tragedy begin...

Chapter 32: The Ancient Path: Blood of the Sorceress

Roger's Apartment

"Acting the part of the gentleman playboy yet again, Mr. Negotiator, after nearly a decade in exile? And here's me thinking you've gone completely insane."

It was the same Angel he'd left, all right, the exact same woman whom had come into conflict with him on many occasions, with the possible exception of her name and her sudden interest in the color blue. When last the two had met, she had been under a pink fetish, but that had obviously worn off. Her allure, however, had done no such thing.

"You have yet to see madness like I have, but then again, you shouldn't be talking about insanity in my presence. What role are you playing in this sordid affair today? An editor, a secretary, or some other official position in the highest tiers of government?"

Giving him an oddly crooked grin that showed off the better part of her teeth, the identity-shifting memory hunter reached into her hand bag and extracted a cigarette, lighting it up in the process. "No need to take on another frivolous role . Unlike our previous encounters, I am presenting myself as just that. The name I've taken is my own, the money I've used is under my account, and the very conversation I'm having with you is nothing more than a talk between friends." Grinning again, the curvy blond sent a ring of tobacco smoke into the air and watched with fascination as it dissolved in the thin atmosphere.

"I'd hardly consider you my friend, but I do need your help, for old times sake. And to that idea, I do need you to follow me upstairs."

"Fine, Smith, but do not get any wise ideas. If you even try to pour some of that so-called "charm" of yours all over me, I'll put a bullet in your head."

"Seems fair enough."

Now that the earliest parts of negotiations had been settled, the two strode into the massive building, feet connecting with the ground and lifting off again in near perfect harmony.

The lobby itself was largely as he had remembered it, spacious and paneled in a rare black marble etched with 24 karat gold. The floor was of a rose-colored nature, complete with silken rugs and brass end tables for the various bits of furniture scattered about the place. Having memorized his way around every floor of this apartment, Norman was the first to set off towards the elevator

"What I don't quite understand, though, is how you even got this far without the remnants of Rosewater's board of office attempting to assassinate you the second that you entered the city. Think about it; your name has been blacklisted on every restaurant, hospital, and police station from here to the blockade, and your debts have climbed so high that they needed a computer to calculate them all. Nobody will even _look _at your butler anymore, and almost all of your bank accounts have been frozen."

"Believe me, I had no intention of ever coming to this nightmare of a city without a damn good reason. And Urameshi gave me one."

They were now mere feet away from the elevator that would take Roger back...not quite back to his old haunts, but close enough.

"I don't believe that at all, negotiator. You came here with some other purpose than the demand of some snot-nosed thug, and I'm pretty sure why. It's the only option that makes an ounce of sense, seeing as you've not been home in seven years."

"Just try it."

"You've come to this paltry imitation of Paradigm City to confront your past. After all, you never quite understood what happened during that Event, and whatever Seebach fed to you through that disc was purely lies."

"WHAT?!"

Whatever happened next was not to be known by the apartment staff, whom had been listening intently from their miscellaneous positions throughout the lobby, for at that moment the doors slammed shut.

On their part, Roger, Norman, and Angel could only watch as the brass mirror doors closed before them, upon which the elevator itself began to activate it's mechanics and cranked skyward. But the noise of this mechanism was not heeded by anyone therein.

"Are you so shocked by this? Think about it for a second; if Seebach actually knew what had happened 40 years ago, then there's no chance in Hell he'd deliver that info to you. I'm willing to wager that he gave you a fabricated version of the truth and he's still seeking out the real data."

It seemed not to register in the negotiator's head what the full meaning of these words implied, but slowly the full impact of the words came crashing onto his head.

_Now it all makes sense! If I was still hanging around Paradigm City, Schwarzvald wouldn't have the clearing he needed to find out his "truth", so he fed me a loop of made-up memories to distract me long enough for him to escape!_

But something else did not add up, and without this piece of the puzzle his theory had a major flaw within it. 

"Hold on, does that mean that Dorothy is...alive?"

"That I do not know for certain. However, I can get hold of the actual memories that Seebach is hunting for. It'll be kind of risky, but it's the only plausible way to do it."

"And where are these memories?"

Angel gave him a coy smirk, and the doors opened.

"In the Duel Fortress where the finals are being held."

New Paradigm Ritz Carlton, Top Floor

"Seto, I was perfectly comfortable back at the New Paradigm Hotel, you know that, right?"

"Yes. But the fact remains that if a rat isn't low enough to stay in that decrepit fire hazard, then a goddess certainly deserves much more."

Pleased very much that his old charms were still functional, Seto Kaiba ended this horrible chapter of his life by placing Botan's final piece of luggage in the closet, which was, strangely enough, large enough to be a second room. It had been rather surprising how many suitcases a woman with an infinite price on her head could carry to such an isolated city, but then again, no one could blame her for needing plenty of materials to do battle in a city devoid of communication with Spirit World. Or so he believed; she had mercifully neglected to mention that about three of those bags had nothing but clothes and hair conditioner.

It really didn't have much significance, however. Kaiba had finally crushed Genkai's pathetic dueling students, and with any luck she and Hiei would follow suit.

_But I can't help wondering what will happen after the Hellfire Tournament is said and done. Presuming that the regime controlling Spirit World is toppled, there will still be mountains of red tape to clear through, seeing as I've been conspicuously absent from every stock holder's meeting this week, not to mention maintaining the cost of my new aircraft experimentation..._

To add to these pressing demands, there was one more conflict that, hopefully, would not necessitate resolution. If and when Hiei's iron grasp over the mechanics of the universe was loosened and destroyed, the odds were that Spirit World would have plenty of political formalities to contend with as well, and when last he checked, the Reaper branch was pretty high up on the chain of command. Meaning that any absent affiliates would be...reinstated. 

_It'd be best not to think about that for now. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, but in the meantime..._

Before he had even considered entering this five-star hotel, the powerful, if youthful, captain of industry had made it very clear that his suite was to be stocked with a very specific sparkling white champagne that he himself had been able to track down. Even the business elite of the United States stock market could not afford such a wine without putting themselves millions of dollars in the red. Kaiba Corp., however, had generated enough gross profit to use it as tap water. 

He'd wanted today to be perfect. The wine, the suite, the music, and the gorgeous designer gown he'd had produced, they were all part of his plan. And judging from the excited squeal in the living room, at least one component had worked perfectly.

_Ok. Breath, check. Lights, check._ With sincere excitement he tapped a command into the mainframe computer._ Mood music, check. Libations, double check. Now fully prepared, he stepped out into the hallway. Love of my life..._

And there she was, simply standing in that spot as though she'd been waiting all day. 

_ ...check. _

To say the least, even Kaiba had been surprised by how very well his dress had turned out. Created out of a fine, silken red velvet, its design hugged Botan's irresistible figure like a glove and yet allowed easy movement of legs at the hem. The dress was backless, and the neckline showed off just enough cleavage to be sexy, yet not enough to come forward as a common tramp. Running along the side of the gown and curling around the waistline was a complex embroidering of a single rose, the flower of which rested squarely over her abdomen. Yet this outfit was merely petty dressing compared to the face that accented it.

Unlike previously, Botan had allowed her hair to fall freely, with the added effect of it cascading around her milky white shoulders and down her bare back. At the same time, she had decided to wear one of her many necklaces, in this case a platinum chained piece that ended with a sapphire tear drop just above her chest. And the face itself...radiant, as though the Olympians had combined their talents and formed a woman whose kindness and beauty would ring in the ears of mankind forever. Her full, luscious lips were painted in an extremely bright shade of pink, and upon each cheek was a slight brush of rouge.

Kaiba had loved her before, and now...he desired her as well. But this was not a regular desire; he was now under the idea that his entire circulatory system would stop functioning if he did not take her right now, if he did not run his hands slowly and tenderly along her warm, uncovered skin. And at the same time, he knew that simply jumping into bed with her would accomplish nothing. He was going to be a gentleman about this, and if the Universe willed his more instinctual cravings to be fulfilled...

"Well, what do you think of it, Botan?"

If but for a moment, the two remained as silent as the first time they had met, and for the better half of that moment Kaiba thought that he had made a rather gross miscalculation of his scenario. Despite his massive affection and admiration for Botan, the ex-champion knew very little of her taste in clothing, which made sense given his poor history with the opposite sex. Those women that weren't crawling all over his wealth like groupies ultimately left him, given his antisocial mannerisms.

So the next occurrence gave him a degree of consolation; even the coldest of people can recognize happiness in a product, the perception of which is increasingly obvious by the person leaping onto him as Botan now did, raining swift and exact kisses all over his face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

"I'll take a wild shot at this; you like the dress."

Coherent enough to receive this last statement, the ex-reaper now leapt off, composed herself slightly, and managed to enunciate her next point.

"Are you kidding? It's amazing! It is without a doubt the best piece of clothing anyone has ever gotten for me! How much did it cost, ten thousand?"

"A little ways up from that. The guy who made it owed me a favor, seeing as I saved his entire business from bankruptcy, so he gave me a slight discount. Granted, the necklace sort of negated that discount, so I don't feel all that cheap."

"How'd it get here, though? I mean, New Paradigm's on an embargo, right, so the guy would have to live in the city itself...wait. Seto, who made this?"

_Damn it. I knew this would come up. Just play it cool, and everything will be all right._

"Some over glorified seamstress. Raul something or other; he got thrown out of his home country, for reasons I don't know yet." 

"Seto, this is a one of a kind work from Raul Ingatio! It must have cost well over a hundred thousand!"

"More like two million. He threw in that necklace for half-price."

With an odd sort of grimace, Kaiba began to type a command into his palm pilot and moved to the sofa. This was not going to end well, he could sense it...

What was not on his list of emotions was for her to break down in tears, as she too sat down.

"No one has...ever spent that much just on me. And I mean nobody at all."

"Why not? If they have that money, all they should be doing is thinking of ways to spend it on you." As he said this, the lights began to dim, right on time. "I don't mean to sound like some sleaze from a local bar, but for the past two days, all I've been able to think about was you, Botan. Every second that I wasn't involved in some nightmarish battle to the death you were invading my thoughts and my mind. And ever since you were captured and killed, I felt like there was nothing left to look forward to." Also exactly as planned, a small fire lit up in the hotel room's fireplace.

"But that's just it, Seto. I've been watching you from the very start of your life, and it's pretty clear that you can have any woman on Earth. So, out of all these gorgeous ladies, why pick someone like me?"

"That's easy to answer. I could certainly have anyone and anything, but even while I was brushing away the real world with my bitterness and technological obsessions, I knew that wealth and fleeting physical relationships wasn't what I wanted."

"Then what did you want?"

"What you've given me. Someone I can fall in love with."

It was at this moment that the champagne arrived, but in the sudden increase of tension that had settled over the scene it could not be detected. And given what happened afterwards the wine was forgotten completely.

"Oh, Seto, you're the sweetest guy I have ever met."

"Thanks. Look, I know I don't deserve you, and no matter how much I suffer, no matter how much I repent my actions, the odds are that I'll be unworthy of your love. All I'm asking is that you give me a chance. I can give you everything on this planet, if you'll stay with me."

"You'll never have to worry about that. As far as I'm concerned, you'll be altering those words soon enough..." But her self-derogatory statements were soon cut short as Kaiba drew her onto himself and locked lips with his vision of life and art. Heart racing with the pleasure of the moment the two just sat there, hungrily feasting on each other's essence as Botan laid herself fully onto him, in turn forcing Kaiba to lie on his back as she wrapped her legs about his own waist.

"I told you, Botan. It will take nothing short of an act of God to stop me from desiring you."

Now that his own views were expressed, the CEO pulled himself back up, or at least he attempted to. Yet as this action was about to take place, his new girlfriend shoved him back down onto the seat. Her eyes were different now, carnal and wild with yearning.

"Not so fast, love. You haven't given me a say in this meeting just yet."

"Very well, then. Make your case."

She did, as was presented by her overwhelming adaptation of what is known in American terms as the "French kiss". Even Kaiba himself was shocked as she slowly slid her tongue around and around within his own mouth, with the occasional motion of gliding her well-trained hand along his face and through his brown hair. Not one to be outdone, Kaiba activated his own mouth in response.

_This is the happiest I've ever been in my life. And as I expected, her libido is exquisite. Now it's time I kick it into high gear..._

With one fluid motion, the mighty duelist brought both of his hands squarely onto Botan's uncovered back, upon which he used said hands to rub her gently, yet sensually to arouse her further, indicated by the passionate groan that his action elicited. Again a small competition arose, as the reaper gradually began to drag herself up and down her lover's muscled chest. 

"Oh my God..."

"Perfect. Now it's my turn to shine." Now finished working along her back, Kaiba moved up to the neck and bit down, slightly, on the tender skin. To say the very least, it was delicious, like peppermint, and he wanted more, so much more. Yet the flavor became even greater as he moved downwards, ending in a sort of orange sorbet taste near her chest.

"Well, Seto, it seems you've won, for now at least..."

And it was a victory that he would take full advantage of. The necklace was still there, and for a second or so his tongue batted it around, but he lost interest as he allowed his hand to trace along her chest and stomach, massaging every part of those regions, feeling her increasing heartbeat and slender abdomen, until he neared the hem of her dress. For only an instant he allowed himself some guilty pleasure, caressing her waist and thighs, before slowly lifting the dress upwards...

"Wait. Seto, stop!"

The rather unsettling plea of abstinence from his ghostly lover was one he had been afraid to acknowledge as a possibility from the beginning, yet at the very core he knew what had to be done. And in this light he slowly, almost unwillingly drew his hands and his mouth away from the sensational woman, and sat back up, desperate to cool himself down by any means necessary. Sadly, none such remedies were currently available, so all he could do was watch Botan go through the exact same motions, and also to ask himself a very simple question: what went wrong?

Kaiba also knew very well that in a relationship such as he was in right now, the deepest connection was emotional, but to have his first true love reject him physically...it made his heart break.

"Botan, I'm really sorry. About this whole charade, I mean. As you no doubt figured out, I'm not exactly the Casanova you perceived me as, so this is all rather new to me..."

"What? It wasn't anything like that at all, Seto. If anything, I was barely able to drag myself away from you, and it's all I can do to stop myself from undressing before your very eyes. It's just..."

As she said this, Botan looked down at the ground, showing telltale symptoms of guilt and fear. These being emotions that Kaiba had had to deal with all of his life, he drew her closer to him in compassion, as well as some lingering trace of lust.

"Don't worry about it. Tell me."

"Well, about six years before I met you, and two before Hiei came into my life, I had this friend, for lack of a better word, named Koenma. This is the same Koenma whom Hiei murdered, but anyway, the little son of a bitch had a very lofty opinion of himself, so as often as he could he would bug me with stories of his greatness. But very rarely, like once every two months, he would take on an older form, a teenage form, and that is when he got...violent."

"What?"

"Long story short, he would beat and rape me with extreme prejudice. As time went by even that became worse then it should have, because every so often he would perform experiments on my body that are too gruesome for words." So saying, the ex-reaper pushed back one of the dress straps to unveil a hideous scar, inches from her heart. "After two years of that, Yusuke came into the picture, and he became a sort of big brother for me. He was one of only a few that knew about Koenma's attacks on me, and with good reason. If someone like Hiei got his hands on information like that, he could kill the both of us."

"I see. Koenma's acts were too horrible for you to trust anybody again."

"Exactly. So I hope you understand why I can't go beyond a certain point with you."

As she lifted herself up from the couch, however, Botan was held firmly, yet gently, by Kaiba's powerful hands. It was a new experience for her, and yet it felt right, and she didn't want it to end.

As for Kaiba...for the first time, he was about to speak not from his mind, but from his heart.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened just now, and if you so choose I shall never lay a hand on you, but you have to understand something. No matter what happened in the past, or what will happen in future times, I will always love you. And unlike Koenma, I shall never hurt you. You are my goddess."

Such strange words from a mighty CEO like Kaiba, but they were enough to convince Botan, and once again she wrapped herself around him, and the two, yet again, locked lips. But this time it was warmer, more passionate, as if the two wanted nothing but this moment.

"Seto, I do have one small request."

"And what is that?"

With a half-smile that would make the coldest of men flush, Botan pushed away Kaiba's trench coat, and in the same motion removed the second strap that kept her expensive dress upon her, resulting in it leisurely sliding off of her slender frame and onto the floor.

"Be gentle."

Yami vs. Kachikachi

"Tell me, Atem, does your blood run chill at this very moment, now that I have sealed your fate in the coat of arms of the greatest civilization to ever grace this Earth? But then, perhaps you fear for an entirely different reason. There is no use attempting to hide it, the most useless of mortal emotions, for I can see into your very soul as of this moment."

"Really? Well, if that is the case, then there is no doubt that you can also see my devotion to purging this world of your darkness forever, as well as the lack of fear that Orichalcos inspires in me. I have toppled the Seal before, and I can do it again!"

Kachikachi's eyes lit up with horrific cruelty as he began to contemplate his next move, and once these eyes locked onto a plan and recorded it, he started to utilize the scientific process to formulate the perfect game plan. "Empty threats, my Pharaoh. Certainly, you may have been able to crush the ancient power of Orichalcos in your duel with Dartz, but your plan has one major flaw; keep in mind that you now only have one of the Legendary Dragons, and only one Egyptian God Card, whereas in your duel with Atlantis's monarch you had all three Dragons! Now, if you are done ranting, I think it is high time I begin this battle in the Seal! To continue my turn, I think I'll summon the Orichalcos Swordsman to the field in attack mode, and as with all of my monsters, he gains 500 extra attack points for being underneath the jurisdiction of Orichalcos!" Kachikachi's next monster was a towering Spartan that stood over eight feet tall, and like most Spartans his armor was sparse yet thick. However, on each plate was a golden Seal of Orichalcos, and his face was masked by a helm fashioned like that of the war god Mars. (1700/1500) As soon as he was summoned, however, a miniature form of the Orichalcos was set up upon his forehead, which also resulted in the eye slits of the mask glowing a vibrant crimson. (2200/2000) "And I'm afraid it only gets worse from there. I activate the Magic card, Way of the Warrior, which shall boost my Swordsman's attack strength by 700 points!" From out of nowhere appeared a gold-plated scroll, which in turn endowed the swordsman with the secrets of the ultimate warrior. (2900/2000) "Now, Orichalcos Swordsman, destroy his Breaker with the Atlantean Sword!" Now prepared, the mighty soldier leapt up into the sky, and in one solid sweep the Breaker's upper torso was severed. Unfortunately, the warrior himself was still alive, prompting the Orichalcos warrior to cleanly snap his neck. (1470/3300)

That's exactly what I wanted you to do, Kachikachi. I activate my face down card, Chain to Rivaling Souls! When it is triggered by the death of a monster, I am automatically allowed to Special Summon two monsters, one from each graveyard, but in order to do so I need to lower their attack strength by 500 points!" As if by an act of the devil, two barbed chains burst forth from the ground, from which were hanging two monsters, Yami's Black Luster Soldier and the Orichalcos Titan. (2500/2500) (1800/1000)

"Not too bad, Pharaoh. I'll place one more card face down, and that shall end my turn."

"Fine, then it's my move, and I'll use it to play the Magic card, Card of Sanctity! Since I only have three cards on hand, I am allowed to draw three more cards, and you may draw however many you need to bring your hand up to six cards. Next, I will sacrifice the Orichalcos Titan I summoned, as well as offering up a card from my hand due to Chain of Rivaling Souls, to summon the Dark Magician Girl in Attack mode!" In response to the tribute, the Orichalcos beast was reabsorbed into the ground, and in it's place emerged what could only be described as a female Dark Magician. Her honey hair was swept back beneath the purple and blue hat she wore, and her short stave curled like a shephard's staff. (2000/1700) "Since I have a Dark Magician Girl on the field, I can activate this Magic card, Sage's Stone, which let's me special summon a Dark Magician from my deck to the field!" As soon as the next part of his plan came into play, the magician's apprentice lifted a pitch black jewel into the sky and chanted in an old form of Druid. This call, in turn, caused the stone to hover into the sky, whereupon it opened a passageway between the field and the deck, allowing Yami's trademark necromancer onto the field. (2500/2100) "Finally, I shall activate this Magic card, Baptism of Light and Darkness! When activated, this Magic sacrifices the Dark Magician that I have face up on the field to summon any Chaos Black Magician from my deck!" Another transformation began to occur, a much darker one, as individual rays of light and shadow began to wrap about the omnipotent mage, slowly carving away the flesh that once stood there, and from the shredded remains of it's shadow magic was spawned a second spell caster, an ashen-faced, leather-clad chaos sorcerer. (2800/2100) "Now, Kachikachi, two final strategies will come into place. First, since I sent my Dark Magician to the graveyard, my Dark Magician Girl gains an extra 300 attack points." (2300/1700) "Next, my Chaos Black Magician's special effect kicks in, allowing me to activate a Magic card from my graveyard, in this case my Card of Sanctity, bringing my hand back to six cards. Finally, I shall play this Magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy the Way of the Warrior that enhances your Swordsman." As he activated the card, the twister-like wrath of the magic tore to shreds the scroll that empowered his warlord. (2200/2000) "And do not think that your Orichalcos Swordsman's effect will kick in any time soon. Since the only way for him to subtract his attack strength from an enemy monster is for it to be destroyed in battle, all I have to do is activate this Magic card, Fissure, which shall destroy the monster with the lowest attack on your side of the field, and seeing as you only have one monster, that monster shall be swallowed up!" Just as he predicted, a massive chasm opened up beneath the might Greek soldier, and just as swiftly was he sent plunging into the abyss, letting loose blood-chilling shrieks until he landed with a sickening crack on the jagged stones at the bottom. "And now, Dark Magician Girl, Chaos Black Magician, and Black Luster Soldier, attack Kachikachi's life points directly and end this duel!"

"I'm afraid that is not going to happen, Pharaoh! In case you have forgotten, you sent my Orichalcos Swordsman to the graveyard, which means that I am allowed to summon another, much deadlier monster to take it's place, so behold the Orichalcos Paladin!"

From all sides of the arena could be seen scores of black robed priests and priestesses, faces indiscernible, who began to mumble in some chaotic language the likes of which had not been seen in over two thousand years, while at the same time fifty heavily muscled grunts started digging up an old burial casket. This ceremonial coffin seemed freshly buried, which made sense seeing as the warrior within had only been dead since the main phase, but this was of no interest to the shadow clergy that started sprinkling the blood of the Sun God's oxen onto it. With a grim smile at this ceremony, Kachikachi began to hunt his deck for the appropriate card, and as he found it the sarcophagus began to levitate into the sky upon the Seal of Orichalcos. The various temple operatives, now satisfied, walked back into oblivion as the casket shattered to unveil a divine creature that the Pharaoh had never seen: a lean, yet obviously powerful nobleman with armor obviously suited for Zeus himself, and armed with a long, jagged blade whose pommel crackled with the black magic of the seal. His face seemed nearly as fair as Apollo's own, and like all the monsters beneath Orichalcos, the Dark Seal became known upon his brow. (3200/3000) At the same time, it's first effect kicked in, negating the Dark Magician Girl's power boost. (2000/1700) "And just to ensure that my plan works, I shall activate the Trap card, Call of the Haunted, to once more revive the Orichalcos Titan to the field!" As he had threatened, the immortal samurai allowed the grisly mausoleum to be called forth from the depths of Hell, from which emerged, yet again, the leviathan of stone, yet this time it gained the strength of Orichalcos. (2800/1500)

_Damn it! I was hoping he wouldn't get this many powerful monsters by the time he had gotten my life points to this level. The most I can do right now is defend..._

"Very well, I will switch my Black Luster Soldier into defense mode, followed by placing two cards face down to end my turn." 

"AHA! I knew you could not hope to vanquish me in just one turn. Now, back to my plan. I will start by summoning the Orichalcos Golem to the field in attack mode, meaning that since I have an Orichalcos Titan on the field, it will gain an extra 500 points in addition to the might of the Seal." From Kachikachi's hand emerged a new beast of stone, a smaller sandstone form of the Orichalcos Titan, and once again the seal came to it. This time, however, it gained confidence from its brethren and gained even more strength. (2900/1800) "And now, for the move that shall end this duel, I activate the Premature Burial Magic card!" (1470/2800) "I can only assume you know what is coming, so I may as well reveal it to you. Return, Orichalcos Shadow!" Once again, the smoke demon emerged, yet this time it was different, the gaseous barrier around it now resembling miasma. (1500/1500) "Now, for the final move, I activate the Shadow's special effect, sacrificing it to control every Dark-type monster you have on the field for this turn, bringing my total monster count up to five. But wait, I still have this Magic card, Change of Heart, to bring it up to six monsters by taking over your Soldier!" As stated, the Shadow was dissipated and used to possess the Chaos Black Magician and the Dark Magician Girl, while both gained a power boost. (3300/2600) (2500/2200) At the same time, the ultimate chaos warrior was himself possessed, but by a fusion of demonic and angelic powers that drew him into the Seal. (3000/2500) "And now, the time has come for me to win this duel! ALL MONSTERS, DESTROY THE PHARAOH AND BRING ME VICTORY!!!"

"Wait, Kachikachi. Hold off your attack."

What?

Rather shocked by the sudden plea for mercy from an unknown source, Atem was obviously expected to turn towards his impromptu savior...and almost died at the sight. 

The creature (he was obviously not of the human race) was unlike anyone he had ever laid eyes on before. Standing at about six feet, five inches, the pale demon was robed in an elegantly decorated robe, completely with some light armor near one shoulder, and what could only be a dog pelt draped across the other. Upon his forehead was an azure crescent, and his platinum hair reached down beyond his waist, while on his belt was a set of two blades.

But it was his eyes that struck a discordant note with the Pharaoh. While certainly angry and spiteful of the world around them, there was something familiar about the color of said eyes. He had seen such golden irises before, yet they were fiery and irrational at the time.

_They're almost exactly like Inuyasha's eyes!_

But from the looks of things, the samurai was not entirely happy to see this new character. 

"So, Lord Sesshomaru, I see you have arrived to witness the final defeat of the Grand Ruler of Egypt. And although it will be a welcome treat to see fear in your eyes for the first time since Inuyasha devastated you, I must remind you of our deal beforehand. Then again, perhaps seeing the might of my deck in action will be incentive enough for you to surrender the Tensuaiga anyway."

"Silence, Dark Swordsman. I will give you the sword once you have slain Atem, but I have come here for a different reason then watching you duel. Besides, your pathetic cards are as of nothing compared to mine."

On his part, the Pharaoh was a little unnerved to bear witness to this exchange. After all, Kagome had given him some detail as to Sesshomaru and his estranged relationship with the demon Inuyasha, but he had not known that he was directly linked to one of his oldest enemies. Still, why was he here right now?

"Pharaoh. I can see that you are surprised by my arrival into this hovel of a Shadow Game, but I have no interest in watching this farce so I will make it swift. If Kachikachi should fail in this match, I will personally tear you limb from limb, with or without the might of the Tokijin which I do not doubt Higurashi has told you of."

"What?!"

"You heard me. No matter how this ends you shall die, and the innocent blood you spilt will be avenged. And of course, once I slay you, preferably in a battle of weapons but possibly a duel, Hiei will surrender to me the Tetsuaiga and the power needed to wield it."

"I'm afraid I do not understand what you are talking about. If anything, the blood I have let was only that of dark warriors, and so far I have done nothing to you."

Kachikachi, however, had known Sesshomaru for far too many years, and the knowledge of what his unwilling master was sickening to him.

"Sesshomaru, don't tell me you are still interested in that wench Kagura. She is so weak, and one of the worst duelists I have ever seen. In fact, it would not surprise me if she was still under Naraku's thumb. All she ever did was whine that someday she would be free of his grasp, when all she could do was complain!"

Now angered, the demon fully drew out his Tokijin and allowed the wrath of Goshinki to flow into it's core.

"You shall never speak of Kagura like that again, or I swear to God that I will dismember you and all of your kin."

_Of course! She was the Wind Sorceress I banished into oblivion when she challenged me to that duel!_

"Sesshomaru, listen to me! I have seen into Kagura's soul, and within it was nothing but shadow and hatred! I was doing the world a service by slaying her." 

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU INSOLENT BASTARD! I LOVED HER MORE THAN ANYTHING, AND YOU STRIPPED HER FROM MY GRASP BEFORE I COULD EVEN TELL HER THAT MUCH!" With a heart now bloated with wrath, he turned back to Kachikachi. "SWORDSMAN, I NO LONGER CARE WHAT YOU DO WHEN THIS IS OVER! ALL YOU ARE TO DO NOW IS TO SLAY ATEM, AND I WILL ENSURE THAT KAGOME ROTS IN HELL FOREVER!_ DO IT NOW!!!_"

New Paradigm Public Records

The city of New Paradigm was, like it's predecessor, a city of amnesia for the better half of the population. Although it had an impressive museum and several well stocked libraries positioned throughout, only the very old or very desperate actually ventured within it. By now, the younger parts of the population no longer cared about the Event and it's ramifications on their modern lives; to them, the questions of all those hidden years were simply not worth the money or time it took to investigate them. No, these Paradise-obsessed mortals now only cared about the future, and rebuilding a new history, thus providing the opportunity for a public records office where the events of the year were logged and dated.

And these ledgers were updated daily, giving inquiring detectives, like Yusuke Urameshi, a prospect to study daily population records...and transportation information, as he was now investigating.

"Look, lady, I don't need the records on any fat cats at Paradigm. All I need is the stuff about the Hellfire Tournament."

It had been in this sort of deadlock for about thirty minutes, and to say the least he was getting aggravated. Soon after his duel with Weevil had come to a screeching halt, several unfulfilled questions started coming up. For instance, how was Weevil Underwood connected to a virtually unknown dog demon, and more importantly, how was someone like Hiei able to get hold of all that power? Never once had he shown any Shadow magic, which he would need to get those Sennen Items, and even with that power, he could not take over all of the Shikon Jewel; his soul had become so black that just a trace of light would tear him to pieces.

There was something more to this, and Yusuke had a gut feeling it lay somewhere in the Black Shadow's presence in this tourney. But from the way things were going with this cookie cutter secretary, the tournament would be over by the time he got what he needed.

"Sir, I'd love to help you, but according to state law I cannot divulge any data on city politics to tourists."

"Politics?! This is a DUEL MONSTERS TOURNAMENT, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!!"

This sudden release of fury was enough to attract the attention of a few people, a few too many for the escritoire.

"Sir, please keep your voice down. Other people have business to conduct here."

"I'm sure they do. I'm also sure that their business isn't related to the end of the world as we know it!"

More pacifist clients had become attracted by his anger. These were the people who thought the Tournament a disruption of their daily lives, and had petitioned for it's removal.

"Mr. Urameshi. We do not take too kindly with people that have psychotic tendencies. WE are a peaceful people, unlike Mouto and his band of savages..."

"LOOK, lady, I'M one of those "savages"! And Yugi is ten times more of a civilized human than you will ever be, as is Joey and the others! What, do you think that simply by becoming a society of pussies you can look down your nose at the very people trying to rescue your sorry asses?!"

"Mr. Urameshi, if you cannot control yourself, then I am going to have to ask you to leave!"

"Just give me that data and I'll be happy to leave. All I need is a ledger of everyone who entered this tourney; the rest I can find out on my own!"

"As I have told you before, I can't give you that information! It goes against the Riot Control Acts we set up, and I quote, "in order to prevent unnecessary anxiety over federal and economic discrepancies, all political and fiscal information is to be reserved to heads of state." And when last I checked, common hoodlums do not fit in this category."

"Fine. I'll just get my data somewhere else!" And with that he slammed his fist onto the desk, in the process disturbing some financial documents that were about to be signed. At this point, the aristocratic and even middle class were looking at him haughtily as he stormed out, and the words "Neanderthal" were peppered throughout the next few minutes of conversation.

Yet as he stepped into the heavily crowded streets, the young street fighter started to crack up in laughter as he pressed a small button on his adapted Spirit Compass, one of only two Detective items that had survived his long trek to Domino. Of course, this final version had several brand new abilities that the previous versions had not, including a covert modem which he had activated with his sudden abuse of the city's desk.

_Ok, it'll take an hour for that crap to download, meaning I've got some time to kill._

Now, before he could actually decide on anything to occupy himself in the first place, he reviewed his current options. First, he had no money, so anything like that was out of the question. His Tournament Charge Card was not ready, and would not be for at least 24 hours, so that was out. Then of course, he contemplated calling somebody. But the odds were that Joey and Yugi were dueling, Inuyasha couldn't even work a regular phone, Kurama and Botan he could not find, and Hell would freeze over before he called Seto Kaiba. The only real option he had was to call Tea, or look for a duel. Yet he had never really been fond of talking to girls over the phone, so he decided to hunt down a duelist instead. 

As he started out on a search for his next great challenge, Yusuke could not help but wander towards the Theater District, only a few blocks away from the useless Public Records. As could be expected, only a few good movies were showing, including that art film based on the life of Kenshin Himura; Sword Heart, he thought it was called. Granted, the movie could not capture the full excitement of that part of history, so the detective was not interested.

_Keiko might have been, though. She was always into shit like that._

The mere thought of his off-again, on-again courtship with the honor student was enough to make Urameshi sick to the stomach. She had done absolutely nothing to Hiei, and now that monster was holding her against her will, simply to draw him out into the open. In fact, nobody that the demon had attacked deserved it. Kuwabara, that poor, stupid fool, had been brainwashed in his futile attempts to reunite with Yukina, Kurama was nowhere to be found, Yanigasawa and the other two they had encountered in their battles with Sensui had long since been killed, and Koenma...well, he deserved what he got anyway. But that did not excuse Hiei's violence against him. 

And what of Botan? He had cared about her like a little sister, and she was near the top of Hiei's hit list simply because she had shown some spine. That she could even wield a sword was beyond his understanding, but a lot of things were just that, unexplainable.

_There's something here that doesn't add up, and from what I've seen it has something to do with Hiei and the Black Shadow. I've known that bastard for close to four years now, and he's not the kind of guy that conquers an entire planet simply for revenge. If he is looking for justice, he's already taken it, so there must be some underlying reason for it._

But maybe there was no master plan. He'd always known that Hiei was extremely unpredictable, and somewhere along the line Yusuke had found something else out as well... 

Flashback

The two pillars of fire, while indeed of the same polarity, were still crashing into one another, constantly averting the enemy's might onto him. The screams of little children were ringing across the sky, some gruesomely cut short with a single sweep of the blade. And from the sidelines could be heard other cries, the teary pleas for mercy from mothers and wives as their sons and husbands were cut to pieces.

To most, this was a sign of Armageddon. To the Reikai Tantei, this was the beginning of a dark era in their lives.

They were all there, Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara, three of the big four. The others were hanging around somewhere else that they didn't care about. Well, except for a certain psychosomatic midget who was in the midst of all the fighting.

"Watch, you foolish mortals, as I leave our mark on this world!"

Hiei, lacking the power he would have some time after, was hacking thousands to pieces with his great katana, while using his immense velocity to break the bones of any that stood in his way. Blood stained his dark clothing and a psychotic laugh emerged as his free hand became the Fist of the Mortal Flame.

"Hiei, stop this! They are nothing but some diplomats from Demon World! It's not like they are violent!"

"Silence, Kurama! I frankly do not give a damn!"

Nothing could stop him on that rampage, not the pleas for mercy, the shrieks of the younger generation, not even Kuwabara's speeches of manhood. And the beast hacked mercilessly away, carving out the vital organs as his eyes glowed a violent red...

End Flashback

No one spoke to Hiei for at least a month after that, and even then everybody noticed a definite change in his demeanor. He was no longer as withdrawn in his emotions, but this came at a very great price. Hiei's violent side, the part of him that ruled Spirit World, the part that was slowly dissolving all the progress that Yusuke had made, had always been there, but nothing serious enough had occurred to draw it out until Yukina had died two years ago. And now, everybody knew it, all of his friends and family, and in one swift moment it became very clear that Hiei's personal monsters had reemerged.

_And somehow we have to stop it. Maybe we can save the others, Keiko, Kuwabara, and Kurama, before he turns on them._

As for Hiei? Well, Yusuke had long since come to grips with the reality that the old three eyed demon that had begrudgingly accepted their alliance was no longer with them. He had promised Yugi he would take the bastard's empire down, and that is exactly what he would do. 

With that thought in mind, the detective continued walking his unofficial beat, taking passing glances at newspaper stands. Nothing really important, just a couple of incidents relating to that string of assassination attempts on Kaiba, and one piece on how Yugi was working his way up through the final rounds. In fact, apart from those bits, there was not one interesting article in the entire business, which readily explained why the vendors were looking pissed off.

_Jeez, call us Neanderthals when you don't even have a decent paper..._ Which was rather funny, as Yusuke hardly took any serious interest in the world around him, a trait that Keiko was always complaining about.

And at the same time, a trait that could cost him his life.

"URAMESHI!!!"

It is to be expected by any normal person that to have your name shouted in a crowded street will draw your attention, so much so that you notice little else. The detective, however, recognized that voice, and he could not believe it...

But he turned around anyway.

And right there, leaning on the fire hydrant, was a rather tall figure of a man with a decent build and black muscle shirt. His face, while relatively pale, was blazing in wrath, and his hair was an almost bleached blonde that no regular person could attain. But this was of little significance compared to his barely tan gauntlet.

"Zeru?! Wait, this isn't possible! I saw you die!"

"Well, my friend, you of all people should be familiar with rebirth, seeing as you are the detective infamous for cheating death. But more to the point, I have been called forward by Hiei. Kind of funny that the man that should slay me with his Dragon in the first round of the Dark Tournament would be the one to revive me. Now, as for why I called you, I challenge you to a duel! The winner gets the loser's rarest card, and two tourney keys! Let us see if your Spirits can withstand the blazing hellfire of my Pyro deck!"

"Very well, then! Let's do this!" (4000/4000)

New Paradigm Museum

"No way. It can't be Hiei, it just can't be..."

Neither Tea or Inuyasha was able to speak as the astronomical significance of what stood before them came to light. It was as if the entire meaning of their entire situation had changed completely, and to a degree it had done so. Now Yugi not only had to deal with a demon with a god complex, but he also had to do battle with a creature whose powers took root in the most primordial of ancient might, and if history was any witness, then Hiei would try to draw strength from his connection to the ways of Egypt.

"Look, Tea, it'll be alright. Even if that son of a bitch is connected to Yami in some way or other, the odds are that fate isn't on his side. Before long he'll be crawling back to Spirit World with his tail between his legs, and we can finally go home."

"I hope you're right. But when you think about it, the whole situation kind of makes sense now. Normally, somebody like him couldn't lay a hand on the Sennen Items, but given this connection, he can manipulate them however he wants. As if that wasn't enough...Inuyasha, what if he access to hidden memories, recollections that the Sennen Puzzle didn't possess? What if he can somehow gain this info on the past?"

"I'll say it again. Don't give that another thought. If he could get that stuff, he would have by now, so I'll bet he will never get that crap. Besides, by the time this tourney's done he won't have a clue how to use 'em."

"Cool. Let's get out of this place; it's giving me the creeps."

"Ah, this ain't nothing compared to what I've seen before. You want creepy, wait till you have a demon built like a patchwork quilt trying to kill you. And don't get me started on Miroku..."

"The pervert, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?"

"Picked it up somewhere."_ I probably shouldn't mention Kaiba's duel. He doesn't seem too keen on the times..._

Now that their greatest problems had been settled, the new coupling strode out of the ancient exhibit. It had indeed been an exhausting day, and both wanted nothing more than to relax for an hour or so while Inuyasha looked for his next match. That Fiber Jar had been an awesome addition to his deck, but to outlast Hiei, he would need more than one breaking card. Granted, he now had an astoundingly gorgeous lady friend to entertain, and with luck she would be there for him all the way into his last match.

As for Tea...well, by nature she was not a jealous person. An unusual comment, but it must be said, seeing as a lot of problems had arisen over the Priestess Kikyo in the short time that he had been present at that museum.

_That poor guy. 50 years he spent bound to some tree, all because Kikyo turned her back on him, and all that time he never stopped loving her. You have to admire that, you really do..._

"Inuyasha, can I ask you something?" 

"Sure, what's up?"

"Do you still have feelings for the priestess?"

For a couple of seconds, the two stopped walking, fittingly enough in the Feudal Era Exhibits. And during that time, the demon was monumentally nervous. Of course, that insanely bothersome "sit" command was no longer a huge issue, but he didn't want to hurt yet another innocent soul.

"Tea..."

"It's alright if you do. I mean, she was your first love, and nothing could ever take that away from you. I'd be an idiot to think that some emotional connection was no longer there, so just know that I'm ok with that."

"Really?"

"Sure. But one thing I really do have to know first. What happened back there with that sword of yours?"

Joey vs. Chu

"Well, Wheeler, it seems that you've put yourself into a pretty big bind here. Not only can't you attack, but once I manage to draw a few more cards I'll be able to call several much stronger beasts to the field. So just to make sure that nothing stops me, I'll place one card face down to end my turn."

"Ok, then it's back to me!" But as Joey drew his next card, what little remained of his false bravado was soon cut to pieces as he saw that none of his cards could immediately help him. However, the card he had just drawn could bring him some kind of advantage.

"Ok, let's see exactly how great my luck is! I'll place one card face down, and then I'll summon Ukira the Cursed in attack mode!" Joey's latest monster was what appeared to be a Norse warrior clad in a brown robe, in whose hands was placed a powerful war axe. (1000/500) "But that's just the beginning! I'll send my Ukira to the graveyard, as per it's effect, to special summon Ukira the Transformed in attack mode!" Once this command was placed, it became very, very clear why Ukira was known in the dueling world as one of the accursed.

It started out relatively simple, the soldier calling upon the might of the gods to empower him by sacrificing two very conveniently placed bullocks and partaking of their warm blood. And at first, nothing too serious happened. Yet that was about to change drastically, for within seconds of that gruesome ceremony another, much more horrific ritual was about to take place. It only took that amount of time for Ukira to let loose a horrific shriek as he clasped his suddenly bulging head, while at the same time slicing away at the perpetually scorched flesh that now caused him infinite pain. But instead of muscle being revealed by such gouges, there was instead pitch black animal fur, while upon his face was slowly assimilating a snout. Once decent arms became akin to those of Toguro as the skin of the human burst apart in a bloody mess, to reveal a towering minotaur that wore a tattered version of Ukira's armor. (2400/1300)

"But wait! I still have a couple more tricks up my sleeve. For instance, my Ukira gets 100 extra attack points for every card I toss from my deck, so I'll say goodbye to six of them!" As every card was buried in the cemetery, Ukira began to draw shadow magic from the land of the dead, which in turn sharpened his blade with such necromancy. (3000/1300) "Next, I think I'll activate my Blowback Dragon's special effect, meaning that once again I can flip three coins to destroy a card on your side of the field!" Joey now saw fit to toss his three pieces into the sky, watching them slowly tumbled to the dirt.

All three came up tails.

"Sorry, Wheeler, I'm not done yet. It'll take more than an oversized revolver on legs to stop me from wiping you out of this tourney and moving one step closer to whipping Urameshi once and for all! Sure, he's an alright bloke, but I still want to crush him!"

"Fine. Then I will end my turn."

"Brilliant. Now I'll start this turn by activating the Magic card, A Warrior Returning Alive, which allows me to resurrect one Warrior monster from the graveyard back to the field, so return, Surprising Mataza! But don't expect him to be around for too much longer, since I'm gonna sacrifice him to summon my Freed the Matchless General in attack mode!" Almost as soon as the samurai was reborn, he was sent into oblivion as tribute for the overpowering presence of the Matchless General. (2300/1700) "And thanks to my A. Forces Magic card, he now receives an extra 600 attack points!" (2900/1700) 6"And now, it's time for me to end this duel, with the Magic of Brave Attack, which will sacrifice all of my monsters, but in exchange, all of their attack strength will be focused in on your Axe Raider. And do not forget that all of my monsters, including the Captains, get that same pump up." (1800/1700)x2 "Now, all monsters, attack!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you get away with that! I activate the Trap card, Ultimate Offering, which I'll use to sacrifice all three of my monsters and summon Gilford the Lightning in attack mode!"

And just as Joey claimed, Ukira, the Dragon, and the Raider were absorbed in a flare of electric energy that slowly twisted itself to form a massive warlord of unmatched destructive capabilities. What stood before both duelists was a heavily muscled human with a sweeping crimson cloak, thick chest armor, and a helm that completely disguised the upper portion of his face. (2800/1500)

"NO!!! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!!"

"I'll guess by your reaction that you know what my warrior can do. Since he was normal summoned by sacrificing three monsters, I am automatically allowed to wipe out every monster on your field before Brave Attack activates!"

With hardly any emotion behind the tinted visor of his mask, Gilford summoned within him the might of Raiden and sent an incalculable level of voltage into its mighty blade, and in doing so triggered a massive chain of events that ultimately hurled the lightning towards Chu's monsters, wiping out his precious Captain's lock and giving Joey a massive advantage.

"So now that I have an unstoppable monster for you to contend with, do you have any last words?"

"Nope. Just keep in mind that one monster won't win you this duel! I've got many more surprises ready to be sent out, and you'll get to see every one of 'em..."

To Be Continued

Whew, that was a long way in coming. But I take comfort in the fact that I've now been working on this thing for a year!

Ok, next chapter continues the duel between Kachikachi and Yami, and cooks up the one between Yusuke and Zeru. Kaiba and Botan talk about Hiei's plans and where he's located, while Roger and Angel discuss the truth of New Paradigm. Kagome finally comes to swallow her pride and sees what she can do, and Raphael begins his plan of attack.

Remember, READ AND REVIEW!!! 

And speaking of which, I've got a plug to place: Read my latest fic (a joint effort under Rheyne and Paladin) and be sure to read other quality fics by Roentganray!


	34. The Knights of Orichalcos and a Priestes...

Disclaimer: When you think about it, can anyone seriously believe I own this?

Ok, in our last venture into this fic, Yami and Kachikachi entered the homestretch of their greatest duel yet, while Yusuke began his third match with Zeru. At the same time, Tea and Inuyasha came to grips with Kikyo, Roger and Angel discussed Seebach's idea of the truth, Joey finally shattered Chu's Captain lock, and Kaiba and Botan got ever closer.

Chapter 34 will officially start Yusuke's next duel, as Kaiba discovers what he's been missing, as well as some rather vital information. Yami and Kachikachi will bring their duel to it's final levels, while another old friend of Roger's shows up. Raphael considers his attack plan, and Kagome at long last decides to find the Pharaoh.

And here is an original card from Matrixfighter3, along with another card I designed

Suicide Detonator:

Dark/Machine/Effect

Effect: FLIP: Destroy one monster on your opponent's side of the field, regardless of position, and inflict damage equal to half of that monster's attack strength on both duelist's life points. During the end phase of your next turn after this effect is activated, Special Summon a monster whose level stars are equal to the monster destroyed from your deck in face-up attack position. The monster cannot attack on the turn it is summoned, and is a Machine-type in addition to it's other types.

Stars: 3

Atk:.1200 Def:.100

Spirit Gun

Quick-Play Magic

This card can only be activated by discarding one card from your hand. Select one Spirit monster on your side of the field and increase it's attack strength by 500 points for as long as it remains on the field or in your hand. Also, during the turn in which this card is activated, you may discard one card from your opponent's hand when the selected Spirit monster attacks.

Let's start the show!

Chapter 33: The Knights of Orichalcos and A Priestess's Love

New Paradigm Corporation Headquarters

It had been about 20 years since he had witnessed such chaos.

Several hundred phones were ringing, all at the same time. Desperate secretaries, hands loaded down with data collections, had started running about the place as though the world's first corporate marathon was happening all around them. About 200 yards ahead, the main supervisor could be seen, belting out commands to the few lackeys paying attention to his gruff orders. Profit lines on just about every graph operating were plunging faster than the armies of Troy.

No one paid much attention, therefore, to the powerful blonde figure loitering beneath the shade of one of the support pillars, nor did they take heed that he was using his Duel Gauntlet to hack into the place's mainframe.

It was often an astounding phenomenon to Raphael, the random occurrence that was total anarchy. He had watched such catastrophic breakdowns of human society since the age of twelve, making careful note of how such chaotic happenstances actually were achieved. It was not until much later that he would realize a very important truth about life: anarchy is nothing more than a reaction to stimuli, and each reaction is based not on the incentive, but rather on the people that are reacting to it.

_These idiots. Even as I watch they are flitting around like a pack of frightened turkeys, running away from enemies that are as of nothing compared to the fury that they are about to face. It's obvious that they have grown soft due to their years of affluent and sluggish living, without any real threat to keep their abilities sharp, so unless they have some kind of militia I do not know about this will be the easiest conflict I have ever settled._

His grim smile widened as the data scrolled like credits behind his eyes, an aftereffect of using a system so closely connected to the nervous system. What could once have been accomplished in three years was now being completed in a matter of minutes. 

_It won't be long now, Pharaoh, before I finally exact justice upon you and the Priestess. You may have been able to defeat me before, but this time you will not be so fortunate._

The sadistic grin that Raphael once sported was now replaced with a look of anger at the humiliation he had endured at Atem's hands. He had trounced that stupid son of a bitch in their first duel, and this time it would be a spectacular reenactment. 

Of course, the DOOM Soldier had other matters to contend with, mostly related to the mysterious reemergence of the Hell Demon Naraku. In his opinion, that creature was little more than a slight obstacle.

And another, much more important matter was at hand, for Hiei had obviously heard by now what Raphael's master had done, not to mention the mysterious burglar and that grating kitsune that Amelda had so desperately wanted to kill. But Lord Dartz was right in one respect: if that fox demon was as cowardly and possessive as their sources believed, then he would go running to Kagome. As for Kaiba and that girlfriend of his, that he would leave for Hiei to sort out.

But from this point of view, it seemed to Raphael that whatever information his sire was looking for was not in this databank, making the call that came in at that moment that much more irritating. And despite the priority of his assignment, the once-affluent son of aristocrats picked it up anyway.

"Yeah?"

On the other end of the line crackled a slightly effeminate voice, and he recognized the character all too well.

"Raphael, we've picked up a lead on a couple of the Pharaoh's allies, in particular the dog demon with that tooth on a stick. I also got some data on Hiei's organization."

"What's your point, Amelda? We already know that Inuyasha is of no threat to us, and Lord Dartz has already figured out just about everything on the demon god..."

"It's Kachikachi. He's working for Hiei."

"Damn it. Does the Master know about this?"

"Not yet, and I'm afraid the situation only gets worse. It seems that one of the priests from Atlantis was a double agent. He'd been feeding our activities back to Naraku from the beginning. We dealt with the matter accordingly, but the damage was done. So we're going to have to enact some kind of attack to keep the others in line."

"Don't worry, I'm on it. It would probably be best to attack the lower tiers of their organization first, so I'll start on that dog demon Inuyasha. Deal with the others as you see fit, and Dartz can go after Hiei himself."

"Suit yourself." And with that, the receiver on Amelda's line ended.

Another smirk crossed Raphael's face, as he activated a small sack of explosives that he had attached to the computer; they were set to go off in about five minutes.

_Let's see those sons of bitches handle this..._Now satisfied, he turned his back on the blissfully ignorant and stepped out into the streets. His target was ready, and soon enough, the Pharaoh and his girlfriend would be getting a most unwelcome surprise...

Kaiba's Hotel Suite

"Mmm... You still awake, Seto?"

"Why shouldn't I be? It's only five o'clock."

"Well, most guys usually fall asleep after sex. But then, you're no ordinary guy, are you?"

It was not the first time that the legendary Seto Kaiba had been called this, but never once had it been under these circumstances. His Duel Gauntlet was deactivated for the first time since the tournament began, his clothes were scattered in a strangely organized path from the couch to the bedroom, there was a pile of half-melted ice and an empty bottle of champagne at the foot of the bed itself, and of course, Botan and Kaiba were holding onto each other's bare forms, the events of the past two hours having exhausted the two young lovers completely.

"Well, I have been known to stay up pretty late working, so I guess I'm kind of used to it. Anyway, I suppose this is a weird question, but how was it?"

With a coy smile, Botan arched her body against his, moaning with a combination of pleasure and exhaustion mixed as one. Having done so, she started to run her soft hands across his chest, almost painful in how slow they worked.

"It was...wow. You did things that I didn't know were possible."

"Don't sell yourself short. You were the better one here today...neko-chan."

Now, to just about anyone watching, that last comment would not have made any sense, had it not been for an old trademark of the ex-official from Spirit World.

"It's funny..." So saying, Kaiba's new lover reformatted her facial structure for a second or so into that of a humanoid kitten. "Usually, Yusuke was annoyed like the dickens whenever I made that face. Who would've guessed it would make you all the more horny?"

"You know, it gives you this feral kind of appeal. But what I don't get is why Urameshi wasn't interested in you earlier. Sure, he had a girlfriend, but he'd have to be a complete asshole not to get at least a little flustered whenever you stepped into the room."

As he said this, Kaiba started to move in again, nuzzling her neck which still tasted like peppermint. This, in turn, caused Botan to shudder in delight, while at the same time causing her to crawl into his lap for the second time, legs splayed across his waist at the same moment.

"Well, Seto, I guess you do have a pretty good eye. Of course, you also have a dirty little mouth, don't ya? Creative, bawdy, and hot as hell."

"Kind of like you, my sexy little lollipop."

To understand Botan's following reaction, one really would have had to know the exact history of the words that incited it. Earlier, in the grip of fiery passions, Kaiba broke open the bottle of champagne he had spent so much on, and drenched Botan's naked body in it, at which point he started to lick the alcoholic luxury off of her. The rest is pretty much self-explanatory.

As for Botan...well, to her just hearing that single line of words and syllables was enough stimuli for her to drag Kaiba into another kiss, and unlike previous ones the two held it for a long, long while, allowing their tongues to become wrapped about one another like a tightly wound knot and curling their lips around the other's mouth.

"I love you, Seto Kaiba."

The two lowered themselves down onto the bed mattress. At the same time Kaiba started to swivel Botan's hips with his splayed palms, gradually allowing himself to creep down her upper torso as her passionate groans reached an octave usually reserved for opera musicians. And as it was her nature not to be outdone, the Earth-bound Styx ferrywoman wrapped her arms around his neck and simply started biting there, not dissimilar to the way he had done. But just as they were about to start up for about the eighth time yet, Botan decided to regain control of the situation.

"Not right now, love; the night hasn't even started. But tell you what; odds are I'm gonna take a shower later on, and maybe...well, it's kind of embarrassing."

"What? You've had quite a few good ideas already, why should this be any less inspired?"

Having been complimented more in the course of a day than any of her so-called friends had offered to her in a year, the blood in Botan's face took on a much sharper concentration as she averted his gaze.

"Well, I was kind of hoping you'd like to join me. Ok, I know that's kind of gross, and it was really disrespectful to ask for already. But it's just that I haven't had anyone get this close to me in so long, and I've always had a weird little fantasy about that..."

It would take exactly five seconds for this information to register in Seto Kaiba's cerebrum: the one second it took for the electrical nerve impulses to go into effect, and the four seconds it would take before the shock wore off. The next few seconds were, of course, reserved to his response, coupled with a silent prayer to whatever god was looking out for him right then.

"Botan, if I ever, and I mean ever, turn an offer like that down, I will personally let you beat me."

With a wicked little smirk, she winked at Kaiba, and started to wrap one of the Turkish robes that the hotel had provided around herself. But, as was her intent, Botan performed this act in gradual levels, for the sole purpose of letting her new lover trace his eyes along every luscious curve of her body.

"Ok, Seto, I'll be right back. I'm just going to get something from room service, so don't get any ideas I wouldn't think of first."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

But as she walked away, into the large outer sitting area that corresponded with the luxury bedroom, Kaiba was overwhelmed with an emotion he had never felt before. Not in an undignified manner, of course; no, the years of hardship that he had undergone had all but disabled his excess tear ducts. But it was strange, for normally he would be hatching another scheme to topple Yugi, or in these circumstances locating that "demon god". Yet now, all he could think of was her. He would give up everything, all his possessions, even one of his Blue Eyes, just to see another smile on her face.

_It's all starting to come into perspective, for the first time in my life. Maybe I've spent so much time tracking down my enemies and keeping tabs on the company that it became an unmatched business. But lying here, with the one woman who has been able to give me happiness, makes all of that seem unimportant. I don't care what it takes, I just want her with me; Mokuba needs somebody besides his big brother to look up to, so what better way than to introduce a sister? He **has** been bugging me about getting a girlfriend..._

While these radical thoughts were moving through his mind, however, Kaiba still knew about his ultimate enemy, and the grim realism of his new scenario was enough to shock him back into reality. If he had a chance at all of bringing Botan back to Domino with him, he would need to take down Hiei, and quite possibly Naraku, if it ever came to that. But that was not his only incentive; the businessman had seen what horrible acts of violence Hiei had accomplished, and the fear he inspired in the hearts of men and women. If this tournament was to end with any level of solitude, that bastard would have to die. 

_You may have been able to intimidate a universe of pathetic imps and ogres, but never once have you ever had to face the full wrath of the mighty Seto Kaiba. And as if that was not enough, you also had a massive lapse in judgment when you challenged me to a Duel Monsters tournament; your head is mine, Jagenshi, and I will personally detach it using my bare hands..._

The sweet merlot of inspiration has been spawned from the grapes of wrath in times past, but in all seriousness, it was a shoddy drink at best. However, when fermented and controlled in just the right way, it can indeed be a delectable torrent of textures and flavors that most could not begin to comprehend. Kaiba was one of a select few that actually had control of these skills, so it was not too far fetched an idea for one such as himself. Keeping this in mind, he also donned one of the bathrobes given him, and strode out into the main room. 

Now, Kaiba had always had a deep, solid love for Botan, but in his mind he had also been under the impression that she was not in possession of too powerful an intellect. Well, he was obviously rather perceptive in that regard, but as he himself had claimed, the power of the mind can only be really unlocked in times of adversity. So the viewpoint of the beautiful lady scrambling through a hill of blueprints, city plans, legal precedents, and economic ledgers was a sight that only confirmed his theory.

However, she was not of the impression that Kaiba was pleasantly surprised by this show of knowledge.

"Seto, I'm sorry, I really am! I just needed to go through some of your papers, and I swear it will never happen again!"

"Don't worry about it. At a time like this, I could certainly use a few cool heads."

"Thanks. Now, I've been mapping out some of that data you got before your duel with Sango, and I still have no lead on where exactly Hiei's compound is."

"That makes sense. I've looked over city records; as far as anyone knows, that place doesn't exist."

"Bingo. You know as well as I do that Hiei isn't stupid, but at the same time we also know he has a gigantic egotistical streak. So he obviously thought that no one could track him to that point. However, he also was pretty adamant of protecting his interests enough so that even if we could follow his organization, we couldn't determine anything."

"But we have one major advantage; Schwarzvald took you to that compound, correct?"

"No, he isn't that much of an idiot. My guess is that he transported me to that Des Volstgulph he has docked. It's certainly big enough, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Several hundred miles in length, large enough...to hide just about anything..."

Another type of inspiration slammed into the duelist, and in that moment it became quite clear that the answers had been under their noses the entire time.

"OF COURSE! It all makes sense now! Botan, exactly on what level was that prison chamber you escaped from?"

"Must have been below the tenth basement. Why? You don't think that his ship is the base, do you?"

Madness seemed to grip Kaiba as he shuffled through all of the papers, eyes alight as all the answers came tumbling into place, every statistic becoming one more piece in the grand puzzle.

"Not necessarily. He couldn't use the cruiser as his stronghold; it's just not stable enough. No, he's not holding council in the ship, he's holding it underneath the ship! Consider it; his vessel has more than enough firepower to topple any invading attackers, so his stronghold has to be near one of those docks!"

"But the Des Volstgulph is massive, Seto! There's no way we'll be able to find the base in time."

"Don't worry, Botan, I'll think of something..."

There was a noticeable level of silence in that moment, and for that time neither person was able to look each other in the eye, until finally, Kaiba's hand traced downwards towards her knee.

"I have thought of one solution to a problem we face. I don't think it will stop that monster, but I have to say this before anything else happens."

"Seto, come on, any idea you have will obviously help the greater good."

"Then I guess you won't mind it too much." With a smile, Kaiba reached down beneath the cushions with his free hand, searching for whatever he had lost. "Botan, for the past two days, I haven't been able to think about anyone except for you. Every card I've played, every chump I sent into the dust, it was all for you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Wait. Seto, are you saying...what I think you're saying?'

"Yes." And in one fluid motion, Kaiba extracted the ring he had spent so much on.

"Botan, I humbly request your hand...in marriage."

Yusuke vs. Zeru

"Ok, Urameshi, I'll start this match, and take consolation in the fact that you did not have to face me before this." The six card group that he now held in his hand was exactly the set he needed to throw Yusuke off balance. "I will start by placing one card face down, and then I'll summon my Blazing Inpachi in attack position!" The first of Zeru's incandescent warriors was not exactly a normal monster by any contortion of the imagination, for it was what appeared to be an enormous mechanical tree with arms and legs that seemed to be alight with a never ceasing inferno. (1850/0) "Next, I will activate this Magic card, Burning Spear, to increase my Inpachi's attack strength by 400 points. That will end my turn." As his Main Phase came to a close, Zeru's monster gained a long pike which seemed also to burn indefinitely. (2250/0)

"Okay, then it's my move. I will start by placing two cards face down, and then I will place one monster into defense mode. That shall end my turn." Urameshi's relatively unexciting plan assimilated onto the playing field. If luck is with me, Zeru will be stupid enough to attack my face down monster. And if not, I'll still have a decent defense for the time being..."Playing defensive on the first turn, are we, Yusuke? Well, I am afraid that your new plan shall not work as planned, for now I shall activate the card I played face down on my last turn, Solemn Wishes, along with the Hinotama Magic card! When activated, Hinotama allows me to subtract 500 life points from you without having to mount an attack, while Solemn Wishes grants me 500 extra life points with every card I draw!" As Yusuke had no current options of negating Zeru's burn attack, all he could really do was watch as the blazing orb of pure fire crashed into his heart with burning velocity. (3500/4000) "And just to make sure you don't try to regain those points, I will summon my Fire Princess to the field in attack position." The pyrotechnic duelist's latest monster was a squatting woman with blazing red hair and similar robes, in her hands was held a long, swirling stave. (1300/1500) "In case you haven't figured it out, my Princess allows me to subtract 500 of your life points every time I gain life points, and in combination with my Solemn Wishes card, you will lose 500 life points every time I draw, while I gain those life points. In which case, I shall end my turn by placing one card face down."

"Alright, and it is back to me." Ok, there has to be a way out of this situation, but right now I can't think of anything that would handle the whole thing. So far the only idea I can really think of is to simply destroy his Fire Princess, but I can't do that without leaving me open to his Inpachi. However, I might have one way to find a new plan.

"I'll start this turn by summoning Yohkai to the field in attack mode, followed by the activation of Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards from my deck." As stated, Yusuke's next monster, a black coated wolf with blood-soaked fangs and psychotic yellow eyes stepped out onto the field, howling to the sky as it's own effect boosted it's strength by 700 points for both categories. (2000/900) "Next..." 

"Not so fast, Yusuke! I activate my face down card, Appropriate! When it is triggered by an opponents drawing card, Appropriate allows me to draw two new cards for myself as well, and since I drew two cards, Solemn Wishes grants me 1000 life points, while inflicting 1000 life points damage onto you!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that! I activate my face down card, Trap of Board Eraser! When it's activated, I can automatically negate any damage inflicted to me by an effect of yours, excluding damage from battle, and then you must randomly discard one card from your hand!" Just as Yusuke had claimed, the effect of his Board Eraser prevented the blast of fire from the princess's staff from inflicting damage, and at the same time knocking one of Zeru's monsters out of his hand and into the graveyard. (3500/5000)

"Not too shabby. However, that attack was only part one of my blitzkrieg. Reveal the face down card, Secret Barrel! When it is triggered, my Secret Barrel will automatically deduct 200 life points from you for every monster on the field and in your hand, and since you have six cards in total, you will lose 1200 life points!" From the depths of Zeru's magic and trap card zone emerged a gigantic psychedelic cannon with two barrels, and as commanded, this piece of artillery hooked up it's turbines to level six and launched it's heavy attack shells. However, as soon as this ammunition came within thirty yards of Yusuke's life points, a glistening barrier of holy light, triggered by a set of priestesses, shattered the attack.

"You forgot about my other face down card, known as Holy Life Barrier. By simply discarding one card from my hand, I'm allowed to knock back all damage done to me during this turn. The only reason I didn't use it earlier was because I wanted to force the discard of one of your cards."

"Damn you, Urameshi."

"But remember, it's still my turn, Zeru, so I think I'll activate this Magic card, Spirit Gun!"

"WHAT?! That's impossible; you can't have a card like that in your deck! Only Spirit Detectives know about that technique, so it can't be a card!"

"Well, it seems that Pegasus knew a bit more about the world than some rabbit cartoon. At any rate, when it's activated, Spirit Gun allows me to discard one card from my hand and increase the attack strength of any Spirit monster on the field by 500 points for the remainder of the duel, even if it is summoned again. But that's not the only effect; when the selected monster attacks during this turn, it can automatically allow me to discard one card from your hand!" As Yusuke ditched one of his less useful cards, Yohkai began to hum with untapped spiritual power. (2500/900) "Now, Yohkai, attack Zeru's Fire Princess with Spirit Gun Technique!" The mighty wolf, as commanded, began to charge up an orb of sprit energy between his savage maws, not quite unlike Yusuke's own trademark technique, and using this the Spirit launched a smaller version of Yusuke's Spirit Gun right into the heart of the Princess, and by this one action dissolved her completely. (3500/3800) But this was not the end; the ammunition zipped deep into Zeru's hand and blasted away yet another card. "Ok, I'll end my turn by placing one more card face down. Let's see you recover from that." And once Yusuke's turn ended, the foul looking wolf collapsed into it's sphere-like ghost form and sailed into the safety of Yusuke's hand.

"As you wish. It's a whole new turn, meaning I can use another Pyro monster to destroy your life points. Also, recall my Solemn Wishes card, which grants me an extra 500 life points during this turn." (3500/4300) "Now, I think it's high time you witness yet another one of my more powerful creatures, in this case the mighty Balrog!" With a sadistic grimace, the fire demon slammed one of his key cards onto the Duel Gauntlet card reader, and once this happened, one of the ugliest creatures Yusuke had ever seen assimilated onto the field.

The satanic fire devil was itself about ten feet in height and was armored in dark purple skin that was as thick as an elephant's. In the manner of combat movement the beast had the aid of two bat wings whose combined spans reached to about twenty feet, and the entire form of the beast was engulfed in the fires of Hell. And weaponry? The vile chimera held at the ready a blazing scimitar hewn from the azure inferno of the netherworld. (1000/1000)

"I see my creature's initial weakness surprises you, detective. Well, such weakness is not to last for much longer, due to my creature's special effect, or one of them, at least. As you very well may not know, the "Element" of Fire was, according to Greek myth, brought to Earth by Prometheus. But when he was brutally punished for his crimes by what should have been an eternity chained to a cliff, Hades, the hateful brother of Zeus, rearranged a part of this fire until the Fires of Anguish were spawned, upon which is built the premise of Hellfire and the Darkness Flame. And it was said by those who believed this alternative version of the myth knew that the Balrog was the core of this shadow inferno. And so, the card form of the Balrog is in fact empowered by the presence of fire, bestowing upon it an extra 500 attack points for each monster of that breed on the field. From my perspective, I count two, granting the Balrog an extra 1000 attack points. And just to ensure that my plan does not fail, I shall activate the Field Magic card, Molten Destruction, to increase the attack strengths of all Fire monsters on the field by an extra 500 points, although such a card reduces their defensive power by 400." As he claimed, the fire demon started to absorb the power of the Inpachi that currently existed on the field, (2000/1000) while the arena itself started to writhe and twist as a roaring volcano tore open the field and became it, and soon afterwards everything up to the magic and trap card zone became engulfed in lava flow. As expected, the immense heat of this new environment proved quite inhabitable for the fire monsters. (2500/600) (2750/0) "And now, Balrog, demolish his final pathetic defense and clear the field for a direct attack!" The Balrog, as ordered, leapt into the sky and brought his iridescent blade deep into the core of the face down monster, which was in this case his Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000), resulting in the mineral swordsman melting away into the lava pool. "Now, Blazing Inpachi, attack Yusuke's life points directly with Conflagration Lance!" But just as the walking forest fire was about to fling his spear deep into Yusuke's heart, a chasm opened up before it. Strangely enough, the abyssal breach was sloped upward near the edges, preventing any magma from seeping into it.

From this pit was emerging the scorched hand of the Stone Soldier

"I activate the Trap card, Michizure! By simply destroying one of my monsters, you let me destroy another monster on the field to join him on the other side! So in this case, say goodbye to your Blazing Inpachi!" As promised, the mechanical log was clenched in the mighty hand of the earthen warrior, and dragged towards it's edge. It was really a pathetic sight; watching the towering flame beast beating the ground and clawing at whatever it could hold onto until it let loose a shrill, sparrow-like yelp as it plunged with the Balrog's victim into oblivion.

"Hm. In that one move you have sealed your fate, Yusuke. As far as I am concerned, you should have gone for my Balrog on that strategy; the Inpachi was powerful, but did not have the effects of my fiend. Take this effect, for instance! Balrog, return the Giant Soldier of Stone that you destroyed from the land of the dead!"

Without warning, a flash of jet black flame shot up from one of the monster zones, and in turn began to undulate and spin about until it formed the mirror image of the Stone Soldier, with the exception of the curling wreath of lava about it's head. (1800/1600)

"What? How did you revive my defense monster?"

"It's really quite simple. As long as there are usable monster card zones on my field, any monster that is destroyed by the Balrog is special summoned onto my side of the field at battle phase's end. However, in order for this effect to work, two conditions must be met beforehand: any effect the monster might have is negated from it's return by the Balrog up until it is destroyed again, and it is considered to be a Fire-type monster, bringing my demon back to it's power from the start of this turn. So for now, I shall end my turn. Let us see what your deck can produce."

"You asked for it, Zeru! I'll start by activating this Magic card, Reincarnation, and by it's effect I am allowed to special summon one Spirit Token to the field in defense mode." Once the magic card had fully resolved, a new ghostly monster was called upon, a child-like spirit dressed in cherubic clothing and armed with a glowing olive branch. (1000/1000) "Next, I will summon my Raicho to the field in attack mode, and by his ability enact another normal summon, that of my Susa Soldier!" From the card zone emerged two more warriors, the lightning warrior Raicho (1900/1400), and a powerful, slightly Polynesian swordsman whose blade roared with barely controlled thunder. (2000/1600) "Now, I think it's time we send the Balrog back to the hell from where it came, and it'll start by Raicho destroying your Stone Soldier, or rather, my Stone Soldier! Raicho, do what you have to do!" Within seconds of the declared attack the mighty granite combatant charged his new enemy, but was unable to land any punches or cuts, until he was finally disintegrated by a flash of lightning. (3500/4200) As if that was not enough, the once mighty demon was reduced back to 2000 attack points. "And now, to get rid of that monstrosity once and for all! Susa Soldier, carve his Balrog to pieces with Thunderous Blade Swing!" Without truly understanding that he was getting into a battle he could not win, the thunder footman leapt into the sky and brought his devastating blade deep into the heart of his enemy, which in it's fate started to pump out black ichor that left horrific burns on the soldier. This injury was exactly what the Balrog had been waiting for, and in the grip of final desperation dug his claws as far as could possibly be done before the Soldier himself fell. "But that is not the end of this turn, Zeru; thanks to my Reincarnation magic card, I am allowed to summon two more Spirit Tokens to boost my defensive wall!" From the sky, hovering upon cumulostratus clouds, emerged two more heavenly spirits, except this time they were armed with a slightly thicker branch made of hickory. (1000/1000)x2 "That will end my turn." And as by it's effect, Raicho leapt back into Yusuke's hand.

"Perfect; that means it is my time to return from this slump." As Zeru drew his next card and increased his life points by 500 once again, (3500/4700) his eyes lit up with wicked glee, as he realized he had drawn one of his most powerful monsters, and one he would use soon enough.

Zeru had drawn the Hino-Kagu Tsuchi, his rarest card.

Outside of Roger's Apartment

"So let me get this straight. The memories of Paradigm City, the actual memories that Seebach has been hunting for, they have been in the controls of Hiei and his organization of thugs from the very beginning?"

"Apparently so. I don't really have all the information on what his archives contain, but I do know for a fact that everything that happened in Paradigm up to the Event. What I find bizarre is not so much that he was able to locate that data, but rather that he was able to coherently understand and interpret it. So far all of my memories have been vastly cryptic at best, so even if he could access Spirit World archives, it would take time to fully translate the fine print, something that he does not have a lot of."

As Roger and Angel finally stepped out of the elevator and into the oak hallway, the full weight of what he had heard was channeled into his legs, and underneath this influence he was brought to the floor, his grip on reality drifting hither and yon.

"Got anything to drink?"

"What, you think I carry a flask of hard liquor on me everywhere I go? I'm not like that, negotiator."

"Fine. If you're going to do that..." It really didn't matter, though. No level of alcohol would be able to numb the blow he had just been dealt, nor would it grant him any specific ability to wrap his head around it either.

_Wait. One more thing doesn't add up; if Hiei had access to these memories, Seebach would obviously know about it, seeing as he is the demon's second in command. And if Hiei intended to keep this data secret from him, how could someone like Angel, who has no connections with Spirit World that I know of, how could she get knowledge that the memories exist?_

Now able to bring himself up to a certain degree, Roger grasped the wall and faced his shady counterpart. "Listen. How did you get that information on the memories? More importantly, why doesn't Schwarzvald have it?" 

"I think you should have figured that out by now, Roger. If Hiei was to surrender the truth of 47 years ago, then his prime lieutenant would simply have left the Black Shadow without a second thought. You have to keep this in mind when you're fighting such a mob; Hiei is drunk with power, but he knows exactly what to give out and what procedures by which to do it. He's a man of deranged brilliance, and he knows how to prey on the weaknesses and desires of everyone around him, ally or foe. No one knows what that monster is capable of, least of all his inner circle."

"So essentially, this guy is dangling the proverbial carrot in the noses of his workhorses?"

"Exactly so. And that is not all he is famous for. If God is with us, we won't have to face him in his citadel."

But as Roger and Angel strode carefully down the corridor, passing by the redwood doors in various states of disrepair which lessened as they moved forward, the thoughts of both began to wander in various directions. For her, the main theme was rather simple: exactly how could she get into that fortress without entering the finals. But for the peacekeeper, the train of consideration had suddenly taken a much less traveled road.

This could be the moment he had waited for. It had been so long since Roger had been able to find any level of true inner peace, and maybe by finally learning the truth of his old city he could put the skeletons in his closet to rest forever. He knew, deep down, that it may very well cost him his sanity or his life, but at the same time he no longer gave a damn. Sooner or later he would have to face his inner demons, and now seemed like the best time to do so. And all he had to accomplish was to get inside the fortress. All he really needed to do to find some closure was to win his way into the finals. It seemed too good to be true, and yet he wanted to believe it so much that it started to hurt.

_But what if I fail? I've suffered so much already, I've lost just about everything, so if I lose this, my last opportunity at inner salvation, the odds are the madness that results will lead me to suicide. I have to get in there; I JUST HAVE TO!!!_

"We're here." 

And as expected, the two stood before the best-kept passageway on the entire floor, the apartment number glistening even in the cheap fluorescent light. It had been over seven years since he had seen a door like this, and for the first instance in that time period he felt anxious. What would be different beyond this threshold? Was his life about to return to the relative calm to which he had become accustomed, or would the passage of years have corroded the only slight connection he had to his years in Paradigm?

His calloused hand wrapped firmly about the chilled metal of the doorknob, eyes abuzz with trepidation and anxiety, unsure of whether he was ready. But he realized, for the very first time, what the real meaning of courage was: not lacking fear, but doing something even during fear. And with that he pushed open the door...

...And what he saw would change his life forever.

It was not so much the entrance hallway that shocked him, although it was pleasing to see that very little had changed. No, the walls were still properly covered, with various antique pieces and paintings. To the left could be seen a small library, along with a collection of vintage scotch that had somehow survived the journey. On every wall was an old picture, including one he normally hid. It was a black and white photo of the Military Police, the only surviving one that included Roger, before he had fled the force in disillusionment.

No, it was the person that was standing in that doorway, a relatively petite lady who could not have been much older than 20. Unlike Angel, she was not really dressed in a manner of self-exposure, being clothed in an old-fashioned black dress with an aquamarine broach at the collar. This girl's auburn hair was fashioned in a short-cut bob, and unlike the eyes of her look-alike, Red Destiny, her eyes were totally blank. "D...D...Dorothy?"

No emotion at all appeared on her face, which makes sense seeing as she was actually an advanced form of android, but her monotone voice held enough barb to unveil a superior artificial intelligence than most of her kind.

"It's been a long time, you louse."

Yami's Hotel Room

It was over, plain and simple.

For the 17 years in which Kagome had been damned to walk this Earth, everything she had ever come close to, humans and circumstances alike, had fallen to pieces before her very eyes. Not once had she been able to find a permanent semblance of happiness during that time, and it had always been a constant in these events for her to blame someone, with varying levels of accuracy in that guilt. For a long while, up until about two years ago, her scapegoat had been the mobster Danny Pavarati and his gang of hired goons. Then of course, she had found a whipping boy in the demon lord Naraku, which had been a plausible assumption. Yet for a long while afterwards, Kikyo had been the basis of her blame, coupled with Inuyasha, and it was not until her hatred of Atem, the only true love that had really seemed like love at first sight, that she began to understand her personal maxim.

She could never blame herself.

_I was horrible to them. Every time that something went wrong in my life, I would lash out at just about everybody I cared about. It was almost like I was trying to smother myself with blind hatred, and to do that I needed somebody for a scratching post! But this time...this time I went too far..._

Kagome did not want to end up like her mother at that age. She knew everything about that part of her life; how she would cut herself in the dead of night and would allow the blood to wash away in the burning salt water of the nearby ocean, how she would break into other people's houses just for some money, how she would use that money to buy acid from some punk near the sleaziest parts of Tokyo. The only reason that she had even survived was that she had met a kind-hearted optimist named Aeyasu, who nursed her back to health and fell in love with her. 

_Just like Yami did._

With barely enough will power to drag herself onto the floor, Kagome reached shakily for her deck. No, their deck; it had never been hers until the Pharaoh had started teaching her to play. With this conglomeration of cards clasped like the Ten Commandments in her hand, she continued to drag herself along the chafing carpet, the reek of blood and a trace of miasma wafting up from the ground and into her nostrils. But here is the ultimate question: where did the tears from aggravation end, and where did those of a crumpled heart begin? 

Such a question, to her at least, was of little significance to her anymore, nor was anything else save the spirit of the Puzzle and clawing her way into an upright position, pressed up against the wall. Also of modest connotation was the fact that tiny bits of stucco, and perhaps an old tack, were digging into her flesh and drawing forth tiny droplets of her life force. It was this feeling that most closely resembled what she felt like at that moment, every hope and dream falling away from her outstretched hand and into a swirling nothingness, along with what little remained of her soul.

_Who am I trying to fool? I don't deserve him; I don't deserve anything anymore! What am I even doing here?!_

It was with a tread of saddened heart that Kagome placed the deck back onto the coffee table and staggered, almost drunkenly, towards the closet where remained what few items she had been able to take from Hiei and his thugs. Among these articles was not included the locket her father had given; it now held one horrific memory too many. 

What was she going to do? That question has a relatively simple answer: she was going to leave the hotel, board the first cruiser out of this city, and try to reconnect the shattered fragments of her life. How it would end was a thought not yet fully activated, but she knew how it would begin. The reincarnated priestess would let the Pharaoh move on with his life, and the two could forget any of this ever happened.

As she sifted through what little remained of her earthly possessions, however, Kagome could feel a strange presence near her heart, not quite anger, but annoyance. And at this same moment could be sensed a kind and gentle aura, the epitome of innocence.

_Yugi?_

And quite as predicted, the shorter version of the ancient ruler, the real incarnation, was standing there, looking slightly depressed. 

_Hey, Kagome._

Nothing much had changed about the diminutive duelist since the first time Kagome had seen him, accepting his prize officially for the Battle City tournament. What she had heard was true; Yugi seemed to have a constantly merciful, charitable, and yet indomitable look upon him. 

_Listen, I'm really sorry for dragging you into this mess. If I hadn't been such a possessive bitch, you and Yami wouldn't have run into so much trouble..._

_Don't worry about it. Dealing with Joey taught me enough about accepting somebody's shortcomings, no pun intended. Yugi gave a slight chuckle beneath his breath, and allowed her to do the same, as she started cheering up._

_Thanks, Yugi, I needed that. But I really don't understand why you're here. I mean, after what I just did, I'm not sure how you could look me in the eye._

_Well, that's why I'm here; you really need to go back to Yami._

A combination of horror and ecstasy flashed over the miko's face in little over a second. But this was soon replaced by an expression of final defeat. 

_I...I can't._

_WHAT?! Come on, you love him more than anything; only a moron couldn't figure out that much..._

_It's not that. I DO want him, I want him more than anything else in the world! It was all I could to leave him behind, and since then every thought I've had was devoted to him! I'd give up every shard of the Jewel to Hiei, if it meant spending just five minutes with Yami! He fulfills everything I have ever desired, and if I hadn't run into him, my life would have been the lesser for it._

_So just go back to him! What's the problem?_

It was at this point that a truly wrathful look came upon her face, and tears had once again starting flowing like the coldest of falls. 

_BECAUSE I KNOW HE HATES ME!!! AFTER WHAT I SAID TO HIM, HE WILL NEVER FORGIVE ME, AND I CAN'T KEEP ON THINKING HE CAN!!!_

Yugi, the voice of reason so far, placed his spectral hand upon Kagome's shoulder, and could do little but watch as she was reduced to broken sobbing, unable to speak coherently. This kept on for several more minutes, until he finally decided to present her with the facts.

_Kagome...Yami still wants you back. He never stopped thinking about you, and frankly I can't blame him for that. But eventually one of you will have to swallow their pride and see the other. If you don't, I have a feeling the two of you will be miserable for the rest of your lives. He's been going crazy without you at his side, and if you don't see him...he might not be able to win._

_Let's hope that's not the case. But thanks for the pep talk, Yugi; it took somebody like you to break me out of that suicidal phase._

_Hey, what are friends for?_ And with that, Yugi simply faded away into whatever realm he entered when Yami took control of the body.

Now inspired, Kagome stood to her full height, and in the same motion picked up her deck. She certainly had been callous, and perhaps just a little evil, but maybe the two of them really were destined to be together. After all, if what Yugi said was true, then the Pharaoh was still crazy about her, and it was time to return the favor.

_Ok, Kachikachi, I hope you weren't too bent on winning this duel, because with me at his side, you have no hope of winning..._

_Yami vs. Kachikachi_

"Well, Pharaoh, this is certainly a rather serendipitous moment for the two of us. Here we stand once again, like two gods of Olympus, ready to do battle for the throne of Zeus himself, and the only thing that stands between either of us and that might are the monsters and the life points of the other. And isn't it fitting that you have decided to duel me under the exact same circumstances as our last match..."

The samurai began to drum his fingers on the hilt of the Mugen-Dai, eyes burning with a fire that neither Atem nor Sesshomaru had ever seen before. What once had been a soul as mysterious as night itself was now becoming all too clear. With each vibration that his digits caused, Kachikachi's blade rang ever louder, as though it had been drawn fresh from the kiln, and with each strangely harmonious resonation could be heard a scream, a desire for fresh blood to coat the Orichalcos alloy. And at that moment, the Infinity cared little about who's blood it tasted.

"Just move, samurai."

For only an instant, the two duelists locked these selfsame eyes, and between them was reached an understanding. There would be no quarter asked, and no quarter given. Both of them now knew what was to happen on this day, and neither would be able to avoid that truth.

Whether by the Shadow Game or the Seal of Orichalcos, one of the duelists was about to fall.

"Well, my Pharaoh, the time has come to settle this conflict between us for the last time, and rest assured in the fact that before this duel is over your soul shall become infused within the might of Orichalcos._ NOW, ALL OF MY MONSTERS, ATTACK THE PHARAOH'S LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY AND END THIS DUEL!!!"_

Every creature that Kachikachi had possessed now charged unabated at Yami, fully prepared to tear away what precious few life points he had left, but without warning, one of the Pharaoh's face down cards, one of his most powerful cards, was about to be activated.

"I reveal the face down card, The Fickle Magician! When this trap card is activated, I am allowed to pay half of my current life points, upon which I can convert the type of magic or trap that any other card I possess falls under!"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's quite simple." As the Trap card fully resolved, a shifty yet seemingly omnipotent sage began to spread dust hewn from the bones of various traitors throughout the years, and focused much of this bizarre ritual on Yami's face down card. (735/2800) "The basic premise of my card is this: when activated, The Fickle Magician allows me to change how another Magic or Trap card activates. For instance, if I used the effect on a Mirror Force, I could convert it into a continuous Trap card, whose effect would remain on the field so long as my Fickle Magician remains. However, what I just did was used on a Magic card, meaning that I can change that into a Quick-Play Magic card, and what I have selected..."

The face down magic, now capable of being used in Kachikachi's turn, flipped up.

"...is the Swords of Revealing Light!"

For the second time in this tournament, the swords hewn by the hand of God floated down from the sky, driving themselves into the ethereal ground of the Shadow Realm and illuminating the Seal of Orichalcos in a divine light, while at the same time freezing the onslaught of its minions.

"Most impressive, Pharaoh. I must say, you've definitely become a much stronger duelist than I originally thought you to be, but I am afraid that my turn is not yet done."

"Very well, make whatever move you have left."

"As you wish, Yami. I was planning on saving this for later, but now I think it's time I use it. Now I shall activate the Orichalcos Crucifix!"

The new magic card that the shadow warrior had activated was easily one of his deadliest, as well as one of his darkest. What emerged from the magic card zone was quite literally a black iron cross, upon which was depicted thousands of various scenes from the history of Atlantis. Running the foreground of this crucifix was a line of razor-sharp spines that seemed to be laced in the venom of an Orichalcos serpent, and as implied it's name, the tope most decoration of this brutal execution device was a glowing Orichalcos emblem.

"I can tell by the blank look on your face that you have never seen this card before, and if you had the odds are you would have surrendered by this point. At any point during this duel, I shall be allowed to place one monster on it, either yours or mine, and I think it would be best to use it on my creature, seeing as you cannot sacrifice any of my monsters. At any rate, three turns after I place a monster on the cross it shall die, and half of the attack power of the selected monster will be deducted from both of our life points. But no matter what you do, the Crucifix will deplete what few life points that you so desperately hold onto. Now, I shall crucify my Orichalcos Titan, to defeat you for all eternity!"

The Titan, however, was not so willing to be executed, and once again tried to flee. But the Orichalcos Seal upon the cross called to it's nature of Atlantis, and the beast willing placed itself before the crucifix. And at that moment, three barbed wire chains lashed outward and curled about the arms and legs of this beast, and in one swift moment drove it onto the spikes. Now, under normal circumstances, a goliath hewn of stone could not feel pain, but the jagged spikes digging into it were enough to cause the beast to screech in agony.

"Very well, Yami, I shall end my turn with two cards face down. And now, the countdown begins. Let us see if you can do what thousands have been unable to accomplish. You see, whenever I have activated the Orichalcos Crucifix, it usually ends with the enemy losing, and with the Seal of Orichalcos surrounding us, failure is no option. So go ahead and draw your next card, if you think it will help." And as his turn ended, Kachikachi's spell over the Pharaoh's monster came to a close as well.

"Alright, Kachikachi, this next move shall prove quite interesting." But as the Pharaoh looked at his cards, it was becoming all too clear that the samurai had him backed into a corner. The Swords of Revealing Light only had two more turns of effectiveness, and the Orichalcos Crucifix would demolish his life points long before that point. So what he needed was some kind of miracle card that would get him out of the mess he found himself in, and as he drew his next card he realized that it might just be on it's way.

"This next move shall bring us into the final stages of the game, for now I shall sacrifice my Dark Magician Girl and my Chaos Black Magician! By making this otherwise crippling tribute, I am allowed to summon the monster known as the Sorcerer of Black Magic to the playing field!" As stated, the two mages locked staves together, knowing full well that their forfeiture of life was indeed for the greater cause, and thus allowed themselves to be absorbed by the pool of shadows that now erupted. But as they were assimilated, both monsters started hatefully at Kachikachi, knowing that he was indeed a creature of true darkness, and just as swiftly as this glance was passed their spirits were infused within another spell caster, whose imposing form now emerged from the depths. 

The sage that now stood forth was about ten feet in height, and armed with a mystic's staff in which was set a crystal hewn from the crown of Makai. The armor which this creature bore was not unlike that of the Dark Magician's, save that it was jet black and was more focused on the upper torso. But unlike the younger mage's garb, this veteran magician wass draped in a cowl of deepest night. (3200/2500)

"Keep this in mind, Kachikachi, as you stare at my greatest sorceror. As long as this card remains face up on the field, I may negate any activated trap I choose, and can even alow my own to activate. But I am afraid that is not all my move has accomplished, for now I have a monster capable of devastating all of your creatures, including the Titan that stands undefended upon the cross. Sorceror of Black Magic, attack!"

"I'm afraid that shall not work this time, for now I activate the Quick-Play Magic card, Shrink! This shall automatically slice the attack power of your sage in half, making all of my monsters unassailable!" Just as predicted, the spell caster was instantly shrunken to half of his former stature, and his attack totals met the same fate. (1600/2500)

"Fine. I will place one card face down, to end my turn." And since the turn was over, Yami's monster returned to it's original power.

"HA! There is little more that you can do, Atem! Now, seeing as this is my last turn before my Orichalcos Crucifix can kick in, and turn two of your Swords, I think that this would be an appropriate card to play! I activate Level Limit Type-B!" At the center of the impenetrable Seal of Orichalcos emerged a gigantic force field machine that seemed to have arrived from Spirit World, and once it hit the field, all of the monsters that were currently in play were switched into a crouched position.

"What just happened?!"

"I see you are not familiar with this card, Pharaoh. When it is activated, Level Limit Type-B automatically switches all monsters of Level 3 or higher into defense position, and must remain in that position for as long as this card remains on the field! Of course, it will not matter by my next turn, for by that point the Orichalcos Crucifix shall have taken the last of your life points. Of course, since your Swords are still in effect, I shall end this turn without an attack. But when your turn ends, so does this duel! Any last requests, Atem?"

As Yami drew what could have been his final card, he yet again locked eyes with his oldest enemy.

"No need. I do not care what you say, for I shall not lose."

"Really? Then by all means, make your move."

It took only an instant for Yami to make his choice of moves, and he could only hope it worked.

"There is nothing I can do._ My turn is over."_

To Be Continued

And there you have it.

Ok, pretty big chapter next time. Botan reacts to Kaiba's proposal, the final moves of the Yami and Kachikachi duel are played, and Kagome is unexpectedly forced into the Tournament. Inuyasha and Tea run into Raphael, Joey ends his duel, and Roger talks over with Dorothy.

Remember, READ AND REVIEW!!!


	35. Groundbreaking

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Ok, last time around was a pretty significant chapter. Yusuke and Zeru kept up their duel, Raphael began his attack plan, and Kachikachi's tactics brought Yami to the edge of defeat. Also, Kaiba proposed to Botan, Kagome finally sought out the Pharaoh, and Dorothy returned to the picture.

This chapter will cover the final turns of Kachikachi vs. Yami, as well as Botan's response. Kagome is hurled into the tournament, Raphael confronts Inuyasha and Tea, Dorothy and Roger "chat", and Joey ends his duel.

Oh, one more thing. For Joey and Yami's duels, the plus and equal signs wouldn't come up, so for unusually high numbers exceeding 5 digits, add the first 4 numbers to the next 3 to come up with the sum, the last 4.

Chapter 34: Groundbreaking

Yami vs. Kachikachi

"At long last, the end has come! After all of these years cursing your name and all that stand beneath it, I shall have finally defeated the Pharaoh and sealed him within the confines of the Orichalcos! And who would have guessed that my ultimate triumph would be in the same realm in which I was trapped for so very long. Now, Yami, this is the end of our battle; I know for a fact that you have no cards capable of stopping the damage inflicted by my Crucifix, and once my turn begins it shall activate, sending you into oblivion! And don't think I have forgotten Kagome; once this is over, she will be the next to suffer my wrath! So, do you have any last requests, you bastard son of Ra?"

"No. Let's just end this."

"As you wish! I shall draw one card, and let the Orichalcos Crucifix activate! Say goodbye, Atem!"

Just as predicted, the massive cross started to shift, allowing the light of Orichalcos to shine upon Yami's side of the field, while the spikes which had impaled Kachikachi's monster began to extend out of the body. These points then began to grow a razor-like barbing as they converged into a solid lance that hummed with the almost infinite might of Atlantis. Once this component was completed, it began to thrust further out of the body, drawing some trace elements of blood upon it's tip, until such time as this lance hurled itself off of the cross, finally ending the beast's misery.

The barb was following the light of the Orichalcos...right towards Yami.

In that one moment, there was an eerie silence that had sneakily developed on the impromptu arena, breath bated with anticipation, waiting for what would happen as the weapon sped undaunted. No one really wanted to know how it would end, for both parties had too much riding on that one move, but then again had to watch for the exact same reason. No one even paid attention to the hail of spines that had been swatted away by Kachikachi, as per the effect on his life points, for it was the Pharaoh's actions that would define the match.

He took no action, however, and by this notion was impaled by his enemy's ultimate life point burn card. The large spike dug into his chest cavity, just missing his heart, and by the same token pinning him to the Seal's barrier, forcing out massive amounts of blood which pooled at the floor. (0/1400)

Again, there was an unmitigated quiet, as all three of the observers watched Yami slide down, leaving a trail of life fluids; even though it had missed the nucleus of his cardio-vascular system, there was no way he could have survived. "The deed is done, Sesshomaru. I have slain Atem, so you can tell Hiei he can have the Sennen Puzzle if he wants, but keep in mind that I shall go after it. Also bear in thought our original deal; I believed you told me that you would surrender the Tensuaiga to me after the duel was won, along with the Sennen Tauk."

"Very well, Kachikachi. You may expect these items soon enough, but in the meanwhile, we shall have to contend with the Pharaoh's little enthusiast, wouldn't you agree?"

For kneeling by the Seal's edge, eyes gleaming with soon to be shed tears, was the Priestess Kikyo.

"No. Y...Yami, say something, anything. Just don't leave me here..."

That bastard, the artificial woman thought. How could he leave me like this? After all the two had endured at the hands of their greatest enemies, after all the suffering Kachikachi alone had put them through, would this be how it came to a close? _Slain in some rat hovel?!_

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS, YOU BASTARD!!!" And in the throes of wild hatred and depression, she began to beat upon the Seal yet again, sliding down it's ancient barrier as her tears now flowed like an inexorable waterfall.

But as Kachikachi watched the surprisingly attractive priestess lay bare her emotions, a nagging thought began to crawl out from the back of his mind into the forefront. If he had won the match, which he knew he had to have done, why wasn't the Seal of Orichalcos receding? More importantly, he now could detect a strong shadow magic, the likes of which he had never seen, and no one save the Pharaoh could possibly have control of such a force.

It was now all too clear: this duel was not over, not by a long shot. And to confirm this fact, the Grand Ruler of Egypt began to twitch.

"No! It's not possible; no one could have survived an attack like that!"

But it was fact. Atem had already started to bring himself back into a dueling position, eyes alight with the fires of royal glory. It simply could not be explained by any normal means; even with his vast control of the Shadow Realm, Yami was not exempt from the laws of this form of reality, unless...

As for Sesshomaru, who had little or no experience with the Heart of Darkness before, the very idea that Yami could have escaped such a devastating blow with his soul intact was beyond his comprehension. "Kachikachi, I was under the blatantly inaccurate perception that you could handle the Pharaoh, so perhaps you would care to explain to me why he is still alive?"

"I have no idea _how _he accomplished such a feat! It has never happened to me before. But rest assured, it shall not happen again. This time I'll make sure he dies!"

"For your sake, I hope you can back that promise."

"But the question still remains," sneered the ancient samurai, oblivious to the dog demon's threat, "how did you survive that attack, Yami? I am certain we are all dying to know."

With a bleak sneer that none of the present duelists had beheld before, the Pharaoh held up the card he had placed face down earlier, resulting in a searing pain that spread all over his nerves like an uncontrollable firestorm

"It's because I activated my face down card, a trap known as Relay of the Soul. It could only be activated when my life points reached 0, allowing me to continue in this duel and special summon one monster from my hand, so come forward, Silent Magician Level 0!" The monster that now emerged from the chasm of spirit energy caused by Yami's trap was unlike most of the monsters he had played thus far. Whereas his original beasts had been creatures of a high magic sort, what was called upon seemed to be...

...A pixie.

What now stood to be contended with was an infantile sorcerer that could not have been older than five years old, with a miniature staff that lay at it's feet. Upon the face of this childish mage was a look of pure innocence, and even a slight giggle burst out. (1000/1000)

No one could believe it; had the Pharaoh become completely delusional? Even with his Swords of Revealing Light still active, the activation of Relay of the Soul could not have been used to summon such a pathetic creature. Kikyo herself was stunned by the seemingly imbecilic ploy he had used.

"Oh, Yami. What have you done?"

Even Sesshomaru was surprised by this tactic, until he remembered a duel he himself had undergone about five years ago, when he kept his skills in hiding. His enemy, an upstart little brat with too much sugar in him, had summoned this exact same beast. Although it had done nothing to stop him in that match, in the hands of a duelist like the Pharaoh it could prove to be the stratagem that brought this duel to a close. And if Timaeus was drawn...

But Kachikachi had never seen this card before, and that was what concerned him.

"I suppose that your Relay tactic was the most impressive move that you have made thus far, but then again, you must have been desperate to summon such a pathetic card. Or perhaps you have forgotten the other effect of your Relay of the Soul card, in that if I destroy your monster it shall cost you the duel? And besides, you kept me alive for one turn too many, for now I shall place one card face down, and summon my Orichalcos Mage to the field in Attack mode!" From the monster card zone arose a new enchanter, a sylphlike Greek with thick robes made of black sheep wool, and upon his head was a crown of blazing skeletal fingers that formed the ancient seal, whereupon the real magic implanted itself onto his forehead. (19005002400/16005002100) "Unfortunately, as per the effect of my Level Limit Type B, it will be switched into defense position. But that does not matter, for what I have just drawn will ensure I do not lose. Prepare to experience the second component of my strategy, for I now activate Orichalcos Deuterosu, the Second Seal!"

Just as claimed, the field magic zone reactivated, whereupon Kachikachi placed the second of his legendary Seals onto the field over the first. But unlike most such cards, the second seal did not replace the original, as Yami knew all too well.

Around the original Seal of Orichalcos was curling a second ring, also glowing with the necromancy of Atlantis, but this form of the legendary Stone of Orichalcos was much different from that of the first. It seemed to have something of a defensive aura about it, quite similar to it's effect.

"Well, Pharaoh, now that I have activated the second of my Oracle's Curse cards, it's time I refresh your memory on how it works by ending my turn. Since with this declaration I have ended my Main Phase 1, I am allowed to increase my life points by 500 for every monster I have on the field. And since I have three monsters, I am allowed to return to 2900 life points." The Second Seal, responding to the turn ending, sent three wavelengths of Atlantean Magic into the three creatures, drawing upon their presence to reinforce the Seal upon Kachikachi's head. (0/2900) "And do not forget that your Swords of Revealing Light have endured their final turn on the playing field, meaning that once I destroy the Level Limit Type B I activated, this duel shall be over. So go ahead, make your move. There is nothing that can save you now." The Swords, having served their purpose, flickered slightly until they simply faded away.

"Very well." _This is it. If I don't draw the right card now, I'll have no way of defeating his Orichalcos Seal, so come on, Heart of the Cards, guide me... _And as the decisive card was drawn, his eyes went wide in shock.

He had done it. But the question was, could he actually use such a card to his advantage?

"I'll start by activating my Pot of Greed magic card, to replenish my non-existent hand by two extra cards. Next, I shall activate the first of my Magic cards called by the Pot, Spell Economics!"

_Damn it! This will allow him to use Magic cards without any life point payment!_

"Now that I have gained a way for life point-free magic use, I think it would be an opportune time to activate my King's Ransom Magic card. Normally, I would have to pay 1000 life points to draw 3 cards, but thanks to Spell Economics that is no longer a problem."_ But I might not be able to draw the cards I so desperately need._

Kachikachi, however poor his current position was, could not help but grin. _Whatever plan that Yami has in mind cannot possibly work. For even if his beasts could attack me, the magic of the Second Seal of Orichalcos has another use..._

_"_Alright, Kachikachi. It seems we have entered the final turns of this duel, so now I will play Premature Burial on my Dark Magician, which will return him to the field free of charge!" As stated, the ground beneath one of the card zones erupted, to reveal the Pharaoh's chief conjurer, yet crouched in defense position. (2500/2100) "But that will not last for long. Now I shall activate this Magic card, Black Magic Attack, which allows my Dark Magician to wipe out every magic and trap card you have on the field, including that Orichalcos Crucifix you thought could vanquish me!" Unlike the normal Dark Magic attack, this Magic now consumed all of the Dark Magician's body, and from this was sent a cannon blast of power that burned away every card in the Magic and Trap zone. "Of course, this prevents my mage from attacking during this turn, but it shall allow my Silent Magician to wipe you out! Next, I shall activate this Magic card, Weakening of Floor from Death! It allows me to add one card from my graveyard to my hand, at the cost of giving you two cards from your deck. But in this case, it shall only benefit me!" 

Just as Yami predicted, a chasm in the floor beneath him spawned another card from his graveyard, and so he justly picked it up. But Kachikachi was as confused as ever; why would the Pharaoh, a normally reasonable man, give him two cards from his deck? It was practically suicide. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on, and if his vassal did not realize it in time they were finished.

"Well, I must thank you, Atem. In one move you have sealed your defeat, no pun intended. And yet, I see some spark of determination, which means that you must have somehow gotten what you wanted."

"Oh, I did. Thanks to your blind hatred you failed to see that I was leading you through this move like a dog on a leash. Since I allowed you to draw two cards, my Magician gained 1000 extra attack points, defense points and two levels, and will continue to increase in increments of 500 points and one level!" What once had been a squawking little brat was now a calm and slightly more malicious caster. (2000/2000) "Next, I shall activate the Magic card I received from Weakening of Floor, my Card of Sanctity, meaning I gain six cards, and you gain four, thus granting my Silent Magician an extra 2000 attack points, along with four extra levels. " Another alteration occurred, and the once infantile trickster was now an extremely intimidating warlock, eyes gripped with sheer brutality and his staff now humming with shadow energy. (4000/4000)

"Not too bad, Yami. But it appears you have underestimated me and my creatures; remember, I still have my Orichalcos Paladin on the field, meaning that your pathetic attack bonus is all for naught." Once again, the Paladin sent a jolt of magic that reverted the mage back to his pathetic toddler form. (1000/1000)

"Hm. I realize your monster's ability, but sadly it will be of no use to you, for now I will activate one of the cards that the Card of Sanctity allowed me to draw out. I activate the Magic card, Diffusion Wave Motion!!!"

From the sidelines, both Kikyo and Sesshomaru were astounded by what was being played out before their very eyes. Although Kikyo had little knowledge of the game itself, she had a premonition that whatever card Yami was about to play would cinch the duel in his favor. And Sesshomaru knew that it would result in just that.

"Most impressive, Yami, but I am afraid that however potent the Diffusion Wave Motion tactic is, it shall not end this duel by any stretch. I know all the weaknesses of your deck, and I also know quite well that the Diffusion Wave Motion will force your Sorcerer of Dark Magic to be the only monster allowed to attack this turn."

"True. But if that is the case, then you also know that my scientific spell allows the Sorcerer to attack all of your monsters on the field, and at the same time any effects that the destroyed monsters may have are negated. Sorcerer, attack all of Kachikachi's monsters with Diffusion Shadow!"

The attack that occurred because of Yami's Wave Motion was, to put it mildly, sharply diverse from what was used in basic circumstances. Instead of one solid blast of abyssal enchantment, the Sorcerer instead formed it's brand of power into an array of crescent blades that hailed like lightning upon Kachikachi's side of the field. The end result was that each of his monsters was severed in half or in quarters, and instantly shattered in a flash of light immediately thereafter. "And since your Orichalcos Paladin is no longer on the field, my Silent Magician gets back the attack power you stripped from it." (4000/4000)

And yet something had, in that one moment, gone terribly wrong, as the massive intensification of demonic energy signified. The source was fairly was easy enough to detect, for exuding that unmatched aura was Lord Sesshomaru, and even from his facial expressions it was obvious that something had ignited his wrathful characteristic. Both eyes were squinted in a full-on glare, and what could little be seen of those eyes was a glowing red, like that of illuminated blood. But what stood as a rather large surprise was that he was...smiling.

"Pharaoh. You have no comprehension of the danger you are in, and from what I can see of the situation your blood may be let much sooner than you think, even if I have to break in there and snap your neck in half."

"Really. If you are so passionate about what I have just done, then I guess you would not mind telling me why?"

Kachikachi, seeing the fresh new conflict, let fly another aggravating smirk even as his monsters were wiped away. He knew exactly what was going on, and if Sesshomaru was incensed further it would be that much easier to kill him off and take the Puzzle.

"That is a fairly obvious statement, Yami. The technique you have just used bears a certain resemblance to the Dance of Blades that Kagura was prone to use, am I not correct? So when you activated the card, my lord was reminded of her, and I can imagine seeing the technique in your incompetent hands has angered him all the more. I guess that is to be expected; when a move is given from one useless wench to another, people tend to become angry because of it, especially when one of those whores inspires such meaningless emotion in another demon or human." It was with a small level of indignation that the samurai watched his fiendish daimyo slowly lose control of his hand, involuntarily curling it around the hilt of the Tokijin. Even from behind the Seal Kachikachi could hear the robotic whir of his master's prosthetic arm, but it was of little significance as he turned back to Atem. "I must say that I am growing tired of continuing this duel any longer than has to be done, so if you do not mind I would appreciate it if you continued with your turn. In that way I can settle this feud between us once and for all, and perhaps put to rest another pressing grudge."

"Fine. I will place two cards face down to end my turn."

"Brilliant. Now I draw my next card, and as per the effect of your Magician it shall gain 500 more attack points." Yami's power amplifying monster now continued to grow in might, but in it's eyes was a reading of depression; it was slowly beginning to understand it had no loyalties or family. (4500/4500) "Now I shall activate the Magic card, Book of Moon, which shall switch your Sorcerer of Dark Magic into face down defense mode." As stated, the card upon which the mage stood flipped back down, taking him with it. "Next, I shall play this Magic card, Necromancy, and this is where the duel gets interesting. You see, the card I have just played would normally grant you 4 monsters from your graveyard in defense position, but in this case it shall grant me that power, for I shall activate the Mystical Ref Panel that I played face down!"

_No! By activating the Ref Panel, Kachikachi is allowed to switch the target of any magic or trap that targets a player, including cards that involve the field of that player, meaning that his Necromancy card will affect HIS graveyard!_

"AHAHAHAHA!!! The time of judgment has come! Return to the field, Orichalcos Mage, Orichalcos Paladin, Orichalcos Titan, and Orichalcos Golem!" From the depths of oblivion were resurrected the 4 most powerful monsters that Kachikachi had lost during the duel. (2400/2100) (3200/3000) (2800/1500) (2900/1800) At the same time, the Silent Magician once again reverted to his infant mode because of the Paladin's return. (1000/1000) "Next, I shall activate the Magic card, Call to Honor, which allows me to remove one Warrior monster in my graveyard from play, a position that my Orichalcos Swordsman fulfills perfectly! This, in turn, allows me to switch all defense position monsters on my field into attack position. And if I am willing, I can pay life points in equivalent to the attack strength of a level 7 monster in my deck, whereupon that monster will be special summoned to the field. So for that cost, I will select the Orichalcos Archangel!" (0/400) While the 4 monsters Kachikachi had summoned now stood to battle, a new creature was emerging from the ethereal realm, a lofty seraph with skin that was as blue as the skies that hovered within it's own world of glory. But this was by no means a peaceful angel, for covering its robes of finest silk was a crystal armor that was light as the air that surrounds mankind, and yet far stronger than the hardest diamond. In it's hands was held a mighty broadsword cast in gold, and upon all of these articles was the Seal of Orichalcos. (25005003000/19005002400) "For my next act, I will summon the Orichalcos Summoner in attack mode! But rest assured, this pathetic excuse for a mage will not be bastardizing the Seal for too much longer, for I intend to sacrifice him to summon a monster of level 6 or lower from my hand; in this case, it is my Orichalcos God Soldier!" 

Kachikachi's summoner indeed lived up to his master's derogatory comments, for it was, essentially, an obese elf with twenty novice magic tomes at his disposal. (10005001500/10005001500) However, he did seem to have some kind of skill, for at that moment he began to enchant an ancient and powerful text that consumed him entirely, until a new, more powerful warrior took his place.

What now stood before the Pharaoh was an overbearing Hercules of a warrior that looked almost exactly like Dartz. Standing at about the King's height, he was built like Toguro at one hundred percent power, and as such was armed with nothing except for his hands. This is not to say he was not protected, for his armor was hewn out of the Stone of Orichalcos, and was fashioned like to the Black Luster Soldier armor. (-2000500 -1500/-2000500 -1500)

"WHAT?! Why did you summon that monster? It has_ negative _attack power!"

"Correct. Therefore, it must have an astounding special ability. In exchange for my current battle phase and twenty cards from the top of my deck, I am allowed to increase the attack power of this monster by the total attack points of every other monster on the field, including those that are face down, and the same applies for it's defense. But that is not the only effect. From this point onward, my God Soldier cannot be destroyed by Magic, Trap, or Monster effects, and if I have the Seal of Orichalcos in play, it cannot be destroyed in battle." At this point, the armor that the God Soldier was wearing began to glow at a level of luminosity capable of blinding Ra himself, while his eyes went into a vibrant shade of blue like to the ocean. (13900/12800) "With that, I shall end my turn, and thanks to the Second Seal of Orichalcos, I now gain 3000 life points." (0/3400)

"Right. Now, Kachikachi, it is time we end this once and for all!"_ But the question is, can I do it? That bastard samurai already has six monsters on the field, and he now controls one of the deadliest creatures that Duel Monsters has to offer. There is one strategy I could use, but this will be my last turn before he destroys me._

"First off, I will activate this Trap card I played face down, Jar of Greed, to draw one card from my deck." As stated, he drew his card, but it was not what he needed. "Next, I will activate the Altar of Resurrection Magic card, which shall place my Card of Sanctity back into my deck, and it shall allow me to draw two more cards." The cards he then drew proved futile as well. "Now, I shall activate my Reckless Greed trap card, allowing me to draw two more cards from my deck." _This is my last chance; if this does not work, Kikyo, Kagome, Yugi, and all of humanity will fall before the Black Shadow. Come on, Heart of the Cards..._ It all came down to this. Yami had drawn his first card, the Riryoku card, but that was not what he was looking for. But as he was about to draw his final card he felt a pulse from the top of his deck, like something was calling out to him, and he knew that his prayers had been answered. This feeling was only confirmed, for the Pharaoh had drawn... 

...The Legendary Dragon, Eye of Timaeus.

_Kaiba's Hotel Suite_

"Well? Do you accept?"

Astonishment could not begin to encompass the wide range of emotions that Botan was enduring at that very moment. She could not be too guaranteed in any of her feelings at that point, and just as soon as they arrived to make some sense of the current situation they branched into a thousand other various reactions. Every facet of her life was now slowly returning to haunt her, and in that one moment, the reaper knew what it must be like for a man to go insane.

Or perhaps she was just a little intoxicated by the champagne and Kaiba's passion.

"Seto, I...I don't know what to say to this, I really don't..."

"Just say yes. I've been waiting for someone I can spend the rest of my life with for as long as I could understand that emotion. And although I will admit it's been dormant, I need somebody upon whom I can rest my head, someone who will stand by me until the end."

His lover's eyes seemed to grow frightened, for whatever reason, and it occurred to the chief executive officer that perhaps he was laying the poetics on to her too thick. But then again, he was telling the truth when he said that he was waiting for somebody like her.

"But Seto, you've only known me for two days, and now you're asking me to marry you? I just think we're moving way too fast."

"Listen, I can take care of you. Even if we do get married at this age, after this amount of time, I have the money and the skills to support all three of us, and maybe even a child, if that's what you want."

Just great, he thought to himself._ The one woman I care about more than anything else in the world, and I'm acting like a complete jackass right to her face._ _"_I'm sorry about that. It's just that I've never...well, I've never been in love before, and maybe my emotions just got in the way of my better judgment. And besides, I was kind of afraid that if I didn't secure you quickly you'd slip out of my fingers, and I didn't want to go through that again." 

He was barely able to control himself as he drew Botan closer to him, hand inadvertently snaking around her stomach and tracing nonexistent circles on the supple flesh. It was at that moment, it seems, that the mighty Seto Kaiba knew true happiness, holding the one girl that could, in theory, make every one of his fantasies come to life.

And Botan? She didn't want to admit it, but Kaiba had inspired that exact same level of contentment.

"Seto, I shall never leave you, and once I'm ready, I'll happily become your wife. It's just that I still have scars from Koenma, and I have to contend with those first."

"Pay it no mind, my sweet. Your love is all I ever needed, now more than ever." And with that, Kaiba drew his new lover into his arms, and gazed deep into the vibrant fuchsia chasms that were her eyes as he pressed her lips onto his own, devouring her, and allowing her to do the same.

It was quite a magical moment; neither of the two had ever felt such infatuation for another person before, and with each warm, pleasurable second the bonds their spirits shared grew ever stronger. All that they had undergone, every moment of suffering, the entirety of their grief, it was all worth the pain for that one kiss.

"All the world, all the wealth, for a single moment with you."

It was all he could do to pull away, but he knew it had to be done. And besides, her glowing countenance was enough to give him strength, along with the gorgeous locks of sky blue hair framing it. Yet there was one thing amiss.

"Wait. Are you...crying?"

A little embarrassed, the reaper brought her sleeve across her face, and when it was yet again visible it was plastered with her same cheerful expression.

"Sorry. It's just that you've made me the happiest woman in the world."

"We'll see if I can't augment that feeling before the night is out," Kaiba murmured with his trademark smirk, and decided to get up to his feet.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We have a tournament to win and some demon ass to kick! So I'd get dressed, Seto; odds are we won't intimidate anybody with nothing but some bathrobes on."

"Now that's what I like to hear. I think you've got some clothes in that closet."

Kaiba, in the meantime, began to gather his own articles off of the floor, and accordingly redressed himself, fully ready to demolish that bastard demon Hiei once and for all. This time, however, he would keep a closer eye on Botan, and the men he had hired would keep guard over them at all times. There would be no mistakes this time around, and before all was said and done he would be at the Hellfire Tournament finals. But that would need some time to orchestrate, and this was time that he could not yet procure.

At the same time, though, Botan's delicious taste was still thick upon his tongue, and to him, that tang of sweetness was more than enough incentive to keep his operatives on watch at all times. In fact, at every chance he got Kaiba would stick by her for as long as could be done. And with any luck he would get to caress her at least once more before the end of the day, and even hear her excited yelps as she surrendered herself to him...

He became so lost in his daydream that Kaiba almost failed to notice the blinking image of a simple postcard that appeared on his computer. He apparently had gotten some mail in those two hours in which he had been occupied. It was probably nothing, likely some fan letter from a self-deluded groupie, either that or one of the jackasses from Kaiba Corp were having trouble selling their own products.

But as he opened it, the familiar KC logo that was required on all his official electronic mail was noticeably absent, nor were there any freakish animated figures of him that had become a continuing trend in his fanatic cult following. The only thing present was a video attachment, something that had never once come up on his mail before. But the virus scan would likely have detected anything malicious, so he was not particularly worried. Still...

Curiosity has gotten hold of brilliant men beforehand, and Kaiba was not about to become an exception to this rule. And so he opened the video.

It was a pretty simplistic scenario. The entire room was shrouded in darkness save for a candle that burned to one side of the frame, and in that light was a dueling deck and about three keys.

_Strange. Maybe it's from one of those cults that Hiei set up..._

Nothing changed in the scene for at least two minutes, until at long last somebody saw fit to enter the web cam. Even with the poor candle light, Kaiba could vaguely discern her features: a young-looking woman dressed in ancient Japanese priestess robes...which, incidentally, were completely black. Despite this unorthodox manner of dress her face was as pale as though someone had drained the blood from her face, and her lengthy hair was a similar color. 

"Hello, Seto Kaiba. I can almost see the look of shock on your face right now, seeing as I know just about everything concerning you and your life. Of course, I am no ordinary stalker...". With a perverted grin, she picked up a snake from the ground that was almost as pale as herself. "It is simply that Naraku has made it very worth my while to track you down."

Naraku again? Seems like Jagenshi isn't my only problem here...

"Don't worry, I have no intention of harming your brother or your lover, although I must admit that you have some strange taste in women. But if you're interested in those kind of perverse activities, then it is really none of my business. " 

If this had been a real conversation, there was a very high chance that Kaiba would have to add murder 1 to his list of offenses. It occurred then to him that she might be trying to psyche him out; otherwise she would not be trying to piss him off so desperately.

"But more to the point, I am interested in dueling you today, after which I might be able to strike a deal with you. Anyway, meet me outside of the Rosewater Tower in about half an hour, and bring your so-called girlfriend if you like, but no one else."

The next thing that Kaiba saw was a glaring Duel Gauntlet, national champion level at the very least.

"Oh, before I forget, you may call me Tsubaki, the Dark Priestess." And with that the screen shut down, leaving Kaiba with his thoughts alone...

Roger's Penthouse

Neither Dorothy nor Roger spoke in the following seconds, for even after seven years of separation, no words could describe what both were feeling. All they did was stare at one another, Roger not being able to believe she had returned, and Dorothy astounded that he could not figure that much out.

"B...but how is this possible? I spent two years seeking you out, and we couldn't find anything to prove that you were even still alive."

"To tell you the truth, I myself believed the exact same about you, and this is from the better of the two mindsets. Seeing as I had no real home around Paradigm anymore, I decided to simply walk to the nearest transit. And if you keep staring at me I will be forced to hurt you in kind."

But the negotiator did not care; at long last, his shattered life was finally starting to piece itself back together. Maybe, just maybe, the real Event just didn't matter so much anymore. He was home, and at the moment, that was all that mattered. Yet Roger also kept in mind that Dorothy's brute strength was nothing to be trifled with; the last time he messed with that, she literally almost hugged him to death.

Turning towards his old liquor cabinet and opening it up, Roger now had another event to be happy about: in seven years no one had touched the contents, and hopefully some of the drinks had aged well enough. Looking carefully over his selection, it became quite clear that some of his once useless beverages were now just right for tasting, and from this group he selected a smoky-tasting gin that took 20 years to produce.

"Master Roger, I have prepared the apartment to the exact arrangement as the one we left behind, excluding the extensive property damage incurred. Also, there have been several gift baskets sent here..."

"I'll take care of those. And please show Dorothy to her quarters in about ten minutes. "

"Yes, sir." But before Norman could deal with his master's request, the playboy millionaire had to do one more thing.

"Why the delay, Roger Smith?

Much to Dorothy's artificial surprise, the glass windows began to tint until it seemed to look like the sunset. Thousands of pencil tip LED's built into the ceiling, seeming to form an arrow leading to the extensive living room on the second floor of the penthouse. From the head of the staircase could be heard some easy listening music; Roger was obviously a man of refinement, if a bit of a womanizer.

"Just go up the steps, and everything should clear itself up."

The android complied, albeit a little confused, and walked up into the old lounge, unaware that her host was at that moment spraying a couple shots of binaca into his mouth. Angel, however, was quite aware of what he intended to do.

"Roger, I hope you realize that she's essentially a robot, and therefore your normal charms won't work on her."

The man was oblivious to her cautions, giving new meaning to the phrase "ignorance is bliss" in the process. Right now, all Roger was worrying about was putting the old engines back in gear, and he certainly had his work cut out for him. Regular ladies he could woo in about an hour, and that was on a bad day. But now he was dealing with an android. The rules were different in this arena; he didn't need smooth talk, he needed programming knowledge.

Then again, Roger thought as he ascended the stairs, she had shown some extra-programming intelligence and action before, along with the question of whether he would have loved her as a human. It would certainly be an interesting experiment, to say the very least.

From the top of the flight of stairs could be heard the resonation of the trumpet, slow and calming, the high-pitched clink of piano keys gingerly tapping the wires, the occasional riff on the bass, and in that moment he knew he'd picked the right tape. And as he entered the room itself it occurred to him that perhaps there was hope for the situation after all.

The lights were dimmed perfectly; enough light to see in front of you, but not enough to interfere with the blazing flame that was set up in the fireplace. On the table nearest the twin sofa was a tempting medley of fruits, cheeses, and chardonnay, and illuminating the scene was a pair of scented candles. Set up on one of the end tables was a massive array of roses, carnations, and tulips, which was encircled with a halo of pleasant aroma that drove his dates wild when they inhaled it.

_Norman, you magnificent bastard._

It was with an ever-widening grin that Roger poured out some of the gin he'd brought up and knocked it back. Everything was going according to plan, and only one thing was missing. 

The door to this part of the house slamming shut, however, was not one of them.

Turning with a level of surprise to see who had sealed them off, the negotiator was expecting a number of things to pop up: Angel, with her gun pointed at his head, Schwarzvald, with his lighter and manuscript, and even Beck Gold laughing at him because he believed him to be dead, which was true. What he had not counted on was R. Dorothy Wayneright leaning against the threshold with a seductive smile plastered all over her face.

"Dorothy? What's gotten into...?"

He did not have time to finish his sentence, for in about the time it would have taken to complete this thought the android sped up and kissed him.

"Surprise, surprise."

Somehow, R. Dorothy Wayneright, the constantly aloof robotic girl who insisted that Roger Smith was a chauvinistic louse with impaired fashion sense, had gained raw human emotion, and a large quantity of it, from what he saw.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Huh? Isn't this what you wanted? I mean, if you went to all of the trouble to seduce me, I figured I could meet you half-way." She was starting to get more intense, permitting her hands to run through her ward's slicked-back hair. "Emotion's a funny thing, Roger Smith; you can never really understand how good it feels until you experience it yourself."

"But...but how? How did you develop these feelings?"

With a slight chuckle, Dorothy stood to her feet and flopped onto the couch, with Roger following suit. "Norman helped me with that, in the form of a mood interface that replicates human emotion. The best part is that I can control the levels of it, so I turned up my raw passion just for you." With another sexy grin, she reached for his necktie and began to loosen it, while doing the same for her own collar.

Well, it looks like I won't have to pour the ol' charm on her after all. She's done that part for me.

"So, what do you want to do first, you louse? I've got plenty of time for just about anything," she purred into his ear as she started to lick the side of his face. 

"I'll let you know in a second, but first..."

With a slight skip in his step, Roger strode his way to the center of the room, at the same time placing a single rose blossom in Dorothy's hair.

"Ms. Wayneright, may I have this dance?"

Outside the Paradigm Museum

It was truly a sight that most would not expect to behold, at least not in their lifetime.

For the few patrons of the New Paradigm Museum, chance had offered them a display that the curator had by no means contrived: a beautiful young brunette with the body form that the most skilled of dancers would have murdered for, in the arms of a freakish half-demon with hair as white as mountain caps and two dog ears jutting out of his skull. Even from about twenty feet any simpleton could see the passion flaring up like the first lick of fire rising from the Yule log on a Christmas morning, as the demon forcefully pressed his sudden girlfriend against the plate glass, allowing her to glide along the window as one would a cleaning brush, along with the heated confrontation of orifices that allowed trace elements of saliva to dribble and blend with the perspiration. Of course, this was not the only indication of ardor between the two, seeing as the dog was fumbling desperately at the dancer's bra strap...

Needless to say, Tea did not take this well.

"OUCH!!! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT?!!"

"I might ask you the same question. We've known each other for an hour and already you're trying to get to second! Whatever happened to being a gentleman?"

Raw flesh. It had been about a year and a half since Inuyasha had felt that sensation on his cheek, but given the fact that he'd only been in the Modern Era a couple of times he could not understand why. After all, he'd figured he and Tea were close enough by now to try a couple of new ideas out, and yet she still insisted that he behave himself.

Then again, he supposed the last thing he needed was some slut who yanks off her shirt every time somebody winks at her. One of the things that had attracted him to Tea in the first place was her strong sense of values, even if she was gorgeous.

"Alright, I guess I should apologize."

"There, now was that so hard?" Tea now crouched next to Inuyasha, and as a form of forgiveness pecked him on the side of his face, leaving just enough time for him to sniff her hair. To his keen nose it was exhilarating, and for the next few seconds his head was spinning in pleasure.

"Anyway, I was thinking we could check out that new club they opened at the center of town later tonight; you know, if you're into that sort of thing. They'll have dancing, some decent food, an awesome DJ, the works."

The demon ascended to his full height, looking intrigued. "Why not? I've got nothing better to do. But slap me in there and you're meat, Gardener."

"Is that a threat? I wouldn't do that; if you don't behave, I won't take you out at all." The tango continued, as she pushed her hair back and sent him a coy little smirk that screamed "you know you want to."

Inuyasha knew the dance of courting as well as Tea did, and with one arm drew her warmth to him, allowing the other to cradle her head next to it. "I'll be good, for as long as you need me to be..."

And in this position the two remained, standing motionlessly like statues hewn of flesh and blood, gazing off into the cloudless expanse. Sure, the two acted and talked like they would be jumping into bed before the night was out, but they had something deeper than mere physical desire. Neither could put that feeling into words, and yet like a guardian angel it stood over their hearts, omnipresent, magical. Brought together by the greed of a devil, bonded together through the new love of both of their former companions in the journey for the heart, and seemingly destined to stay together by some strange twist of fate.

Beneath all of the innuendo, beneath all of the previous suffering...was the hint of true love.

"Tea?"

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

"Would it bother you to stay with me, for just a little while longer?"

"I'll stay for as long as you want, baby."

And there they were, eyes locked again. No wild animal passion, no dirty talk, just...tenderness. Apparently, Cupid's bolt had struck true.

But the spell, while potent, was not indestructible, and in that moment of adoration, the demonic nose picked up a wicked reek.

The smell of a great darkness bearing down upon them.

"Alright, love birds, break it up!!!"

Inuyasha now knew that whatever force he was about to contend with was not about to be defeated easily. Apparently whatever the source of the necromancy was, it had some kind of physical incarnation, if it could manifest itself in an actual odor. 

"Don't play dumb with me, Lord Inuyasha, or I swear you will regret it! I've been watching you and Gardener for quite some time now, so I would not try anything tricky!"

Tea, in the few seconds that she heard the roar of Inuyasha's challenger, recalled the voice, but she could not believe he had returned after almost a year. Did she dare face the one man who had been able to conquer the Pharaoh Atem, or would she simply deny that which she had feared for so very long?

And as the two separated, all the nightmares that had plagued her for two months after the incident came back in a flood of horrific memories, for the enemy that had challenged Inuyasha...was Raphael.

"Well, you are the famous Inuyasha that I have heard so much about; I guess the random talk of demons is not to be trusted after all. Considering that the only weapon you have to work with is a cane with an incisor jutting out of it, I'm not particularly frightened."

"If only you knew what this thing is capable of, you'd be pissing yourself right on the spot. And from my perspective, you don't even have a weapon, so I'd shut up if I were you."

This was a grossly inaccurate statement, and only Tea and Raphael knew exactly how much so.

"Inuyasha, this is not a guy you want to mess with. His name's Raphael, and unless something changed in him..."

"Nothing has become warped in me yet, you filthy whore. Why don't you go back to ignoring the reality of the world as you service the pigs of New Paradigm, while the half-breed and I settle this like men?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!"

"Don't lose your head. I need it for you to be fully ready to duel me. But do not worry, I have no intention of completely wiping you out right now."

"Why, are you too afraid to face me 'like a man'?"

"Nope. I just want to make sure that you are dueling at your very best when the end comes. So I'm going to give you something to get angry about." With a cold grin, Raphael extracted something from around his neck, a skull necklace with a perfectly carved emerald-like substance attached to it.

_What is this jackass thinking? There is no way some piece of jewelry is going to stand against the Windscar, despite that black magic that surrounds it..._

_"_Oh, and one more thing; I know all about the Red Tetsuaiga technique, so if you're going to attack me with that, it shall not work. And now, Stone of Orichalcos..._ SHOW THE HALF-BREED SOME REAL POWER!!!"_

Joey vs. Chu

"Alright, Wheeler, I'll place my one card face down, and end my turn."

"Good, then it is back to me."_ Knowing Chu, he probably has a trap card that'll stop my attack, and maybe even destroy Gilford before it can strike, so I'd better watch my ass this time around. _"First off, I'm gonna summon the Swordsman of Landstar to the field in attack mode, and place one card face down." Joey's next monster looked like it was from the warrior class in a fairy tale, with pink, bloated cheeks and brown armor that bore the Landstar crest upon it. (500/1200)

"Hold it! I activate the Trap card, Curse of Anubis, which'll switch all effect monsters on the field into defense mode, and for the turn their defense stats become 0, makin' your Gilford the Lightning all but useless to you!" Just as stated, the once omnipotent storm soldier was crushed to the ground by a mask of Anubis that clamped onto it's face. (2800/0)

"Please; if that's the best you can do, then you may as well just cough up those beautiful keys. I activate the face down card, Graceful Dice, which will multiply my Landstar's attack depending on what I get for a roll." On the magic field zone emerged a cherubic fairy wielding a bright blue die, which was in turn rolled onto the field to unveil a 3. "Damn it! Oh well, at least it triples my Swordsman attack to 1500. Now, Swordsman of Landstar, attack Chu's life points directly!" With a mighty swing, or as mighty as such a pathetic creature could call upon, the pixie knight brought his blade down onto Chu's forehead, with the added effect of escalating his already throbbing headache. (3900/1800) "I'll place one more card face down, and that'll end my turn."

"Hm. Not too shabby. Now it's my turn, and all I need to do to end this match is draw one card." And as he drew the next card, the alcoholic duelist realized that victory was within his grasp. "I'll start by activating the Pot of Greed magic card, which lets me draw two cards, followed by the summoning of my M-Warrior #1 in attack mode!" The next monster that was played appeared to be a slim humanoid with crimson flesh and sparse armor that was crackling with barely contained electromagnetic charges, which seemed to stem from the warrior's twin scythes. (500200700/10002001200)

For the few seconds it took Joey to fully take in the monster he was silent, along with the millisecond it took for him to start crying in sheer amusement.

"Don't be so confident, Mr. Runner-Up! Now I activate the Magic card, Creature Swap, which shall allow both of us to select one monster from our enemy's field, and for the remainder of the duel, the monsters shall switch control. Since I only have my M-Warrior on the field, you get that pathetic little bugger, while I can hook that bloke Gilford and use 'em against ya! And since the M-Warrior ain't on my side of the field, it loses it's power boost. " Gilford, having recovered from the Curse of Anubis, strode over to Joey's side of the field, replacing the M-Warrior that now stood with Joey. "And since I can't change the position of Gilford because of Creature Swap by m'self during this turn, I'll activate the Stop Defense Magic card on it!" With a mighty roar, Gilford stood to his full and overwhelming height, and gained Chu's power boost. (3000/1200) "For my final attack, I will remove the two Marauding Captains and the Mataza in my graveyard to summon the second rarest card in my deck, Daisho Tzu, which gains 200 extra attack points for every Warrior on the field, and an additional 200 per Warrior on my field thanks to A. Forces!" From the depths of Chu's hand now strode a powerful daimyo that was clad in black samurai armor that was laced in gold. The face mask of the warrior was a black lacquered human skull, while the weapons strapped to him included a platinum huang-dao and a double-bladed katana. (24006004003400/2100) "Now, Gilford the Lightning, destroy his M-Warrior #1 with the Blade of Odin!" (3200/1200)

It can be said that fortune goes hand in hand with a sort of universal satire; the very monster that had just saved Joey from devastation would now take a huge chunk away from his life points. Of course, Joey was not to interested in the ironic humor of that moment, for he was watching the illegitimate son of Thor shoving his mighty broadsword into the magnetic warrior's head, splitting it in half in the process and splashing ichors all over the field. (1200/1800) Also, the attack power of Daisho Tzu dropped as one warrior was destroyed. (3200/2100) "Now, Daisho Tzu, destroy the Swordsman of Landstar and end this duel!"

But Chu had made one massive error: he had expected Joey to play his face down card during the last attack.

"You just triggered my trap card, called Silver Dollar! When activated, it defends any monster with 1000 attack points or lower from an attack, meaning that your Daisho Tzu's attack is invalid!" Just as the ruler of samurai was about to strike, the Swordsman of Landstar leapt away from the assault.

"Most impressive, Joey, but keep in mind that your Silver Dollar is a one-turn trap, meaning it can't save you next turn. So go ahead and make your last move, cuz the way I see it, the only thing you have on your side is some dumbass luck, kinda like Urameshi."

"Well, let's just see if that "dumbass luck" will stop you again." _Alright, there's only one card in my hand right now, and unless I can draw the right card, this duel will be over. C'mon, Heart of the Cards, show me some love..._

The card slipped off of Joey's deck, and passed the threshold into his hand. And in that moment, he realized that victory was his. 

"Alright, Chu, I'll play the Snatch Steal Equip Magic, which will control one of your monsters so long as you get 1000 life points each turn, and I'm going after my Gilford!" As mighty as Gilford was, he could not escape the clutching grasp of three brutal kidnappers as they accosted the warrior and drew him to Joey's side of the field, thus returning him to his original power.

"HA!!! You must be pullin' me chain, Wheeler; alone your Gilford can't beat my daimyo!"

"Oh really? Well, times change, my drunk buddy, and that is exactly what I intend to use to win! I summon the Time Wizard in attack mode!"

Joey's second rarest card, one that had been a gift from Yugi Mouto, had been one of his most powerful, if not the best, saving grace in his times of hardship; when the chips had been down, like in his duels with Mai and Rex, this card had come through for him in a blaze of centuries and had crumbled some of the best monsters in the game. Granted, the move was not without its dangers, but Joey Wheeler had never been one for risk management. So he would spin the old roulette one more time, and see if he couldn't cheat defeat with a little time magic. 

Who could have thought that such an influential card would be a red pocket watch with eyes, a cape, arms and legs, and a staff with another clock on it? (500/400)

_The Time Wizard? This isn't possible; there's no way a bloke like Wheeler could get a card that rare in his deck! Well, even if he does know how to use it, the effect might backfire on him. If it doesn't..._

"Alright, this is how it's gonna work. The Time Wizard will spin it's roulette, and if it lands on a time machine, a thousand years'll pass on your field, rendering everything you have on the field all but useless. If it hits a skull, I lose every monster on my side of the field, and half their attack points are subtracted from my life points. So now, let's see what ol' Father Time has in store for us! Go, Time Wizard; use the Time Roulette!" 

In the entirety of his deck, only the Roulette Spider had as much danger in usage as the Time Wizard manipulated, and Joey knew all about these risks the second he summoned his time-twisting ally. If this spin failed, then he would be out of the tournament, meaning that Hiei and Sesshomaru would get off scot-free without him being able to stop them._ Ok, Time Wizard, it's all up to you..._

The roulette spinner now began to speed along at an incalculable tempo, jetting past the skulls and machines as though it was an aristocrat in a bad neighborhood. It all came down to this, and even with the mechanical roar of the death clock, both duelists became ensconced in their own little world. 

The spinner came to it's first stop of five. Skull, as could be figured out by Joey's sharp intake of breath.

It shifted to the point between the skull and machine. One could not find tension any higher than at this moment.

The third rotation occurred. Skull.

It shifted for the fourth time. Skull.

And there it was, the final shift, and both Chu and Joey held their breath in anticipation, as the arrow-headed point slid over... 

...the Time Machine.

Joey just stood there, eyes wide open, fully taking in the idea that he had won the duel, until he reacted in an unusual level of quiet dignity.

Dignity being relative, obviously.

"OH HELL YEAH!!! TIME WIZARD, DO YOUR THING!!!"

Expressionless as the master of time was, anyone watching the match could see the cartoonish watch was jubilant as it sent a blast of magic into the sky. From this pinpoint of sorcery was spawned something of a black hole, save that it's effect was reversed, and from the portal was sent a wavelength of time energy that began to consume all that was not protected by its suzerain. The rise and fall of civilizations took seconds instead of centuries; blood was poured, enemies were butchered, people lived and died, and the world itself spun madly into a chaotic whirlpool of eras and epochs, all contained in the course of one minute of real time.

And when the dust cleared...all that was left of Chu's Daisho Tzu was a feeble old man, armor lying heavy upon him. Unlike the spell caster race, warriors only became weaker with age. (100/100)

"Hm. I've gotta say, I'm impressed, Wheeler. Maybe that title really does have some credibility behind it after all."

"Glad to hear you say that, Chu, and it was an honor dueling you. NOW, GILFORD THE LIGHTNING, ATTACK HIS DAISHO TZU WITH YOUR BLADE OF ODIN!!!"

This was the end, and Joey didn't even bother to watch as his thunder warlord hacked the once grand samurai to bloody pieces. He'd won, and this was only the beginning. Soon enough, he'd be at the finals, and maybe, just maybe, he'd have another shot at Kaiba. (1200/0)

"Well, it's over, and seeing as I'm a man of my word, here are my two keys and two rarest cards." And with a grin, the drunk handed over his keys, Daisho Tzu and Marauding Captain. "But don't think this is the end, Wheeler. I'll be back, for you and Urameshi."

"And I'll be ready." With that, the two went their different paths, both bound by a rematch...and a love for the fight.

Yami's Hotel Room

_Well, here it goes._

With an overly dramatic flourish, Kagome flung the ratty and malodorous school uniform into the garbage; the way she figured it, her old place of education would not be rebuilt for the next decade or so. This was fortunate, seeing as her less-than-exemplary attendance and corresponding poor grades would now be lost thanks in part to Hiei's ransack. But at that moment, old grades, old lifestyles, and even old enemies, they were all forgotten in the midst of that moment.

Now, for the most part, Kagome had not been too concerned with the outcome of Yami's duel. She knew quite well that since Yugi was there, the Pharaoh could easily emerge victorious; it was amazing how different one's viewpoint can be when it is not overridden with grief and despair. But that was not her problem at that moment.

Right now, she had to make amends, which was why she decided to play a little...dress-up.

Even from her own perspective, Kagome had to admit she looked beautiful. She was now clothed in a silk blouse whose hue was akin to that of the Caribbean Sea, with ivory-colored buttons that ran down the front in almost perfect alignment. What had once been a green skirt was now replaced with a lengthier version made of a blood red terrycloth. Of course, this is not to say that it was without it's sensuality; the lengthy slit that ran up the skirt's length made sure of that.

And as for her face? Well, with a few swift brushes of makeup, a layer of burgundy lipstick, and her new hairstyle, a monumentally classy bun with a few strands making themselves known, she looked gorgeous enough to be a model. But that was not her intent at all in this case.

Right now, all she wanted was for Yami to forgive her, and from her experience, the best way to procure amnesty from a lover was to make him desire you.

But the question was, now that Kagome was about to make everything in her life fall back into place, what could she do to pass the time?

With little else to do, she began to rifle through the deck that she had made, on occasion noting some kind of poor idea and removing it accordingly. But after a while she noticed some unusual cards appearing; angels that had not been there previously, the Sanctuary in the Sky, and even one card called The Creator. Even without looking at the rarity indicators she could tell that these cards were not something easily found, so how did they arrive in her deck?

It was then that she noticed a small cardboard box near one end of the table. Unsure if what to think, she lifted it, and was soon shocked to see a receipt within it; upon this voucher was listed every one of the new cards in her deck. Also attached to the package was a small note. The title made her sick to the stomach:_ To my dearest love._

_"_Oh Yami, what have I done?" 

Did she dare open the memorandum, see what Yami no Yuugi truly thought of her, or would it be so heartfelt and caring that she hated herself all the more?

It was with saddened heart and churning conscience that Kagome unfolded the paper...and realized that she might have killed one part of the only man she ever really cared about.

_Kagome,_

_These cards are not merely for enhancing the power of your dueling deck, although they will play a key role in doing so. I can only pray that each time you summon one of these new creatures or activate one of these new magic cards, you remember that you are indeed an angel, and perhaps, you could become...my angel. As long as I shall exist on this plane, there will be none more beautiful, more courageous, more affectionate, and deep within my heart I know I do not deserve your love. But I am asking for that love anyway..._

_Yours forever,_

_The Pharaoh Atemu._

_He should have seen it from the very beginning. He should have known that I am no angel. All I am is a possessive bitch who goes insane each time somebody I love talks to Kikyo, and yet he still loves me. He was wrong; I don't deserve his care, his tender passion, and yet I am asking for that anyway._

_I have to see him. It's the only way I can make things right._

With this thought in mind, Kagome leapt to her feet and ran for the door, subconsciously grabbing her new dueling deck as she did so. Whether this was another premonition of things to come is anyone's guess, but at that point the attainment of her cards was not high on Kagome's list of worries. 

_Now, Kachikachi mentioned something about a duel in a ballroom, and seeing as this rathole has only one, then it won't be too hard to find it._

With little else than these directions concerning her, she screamed out of the hotel room, on occasion slipping on the puddles of blood that Naraku's disloyal incarnation had spilled. All the world was a blur to her, and for exactly ten seconds more it would remain that way. 

As she leapt over the dead and the rubble of Slifer's attack, Kagome did notice one other thing. Kagura's discarded Duel Gauntlet was now glowing white, and this was enough, if but barely, to stop her in her tracks. A mistake she would live to regret.

Fascinated by the hum of the super-technological advancement, Kagome was rooted to the spot as a hologram of a man of refined composure in a white suit was generated, a man similar to the golden statue on top of the New Paradigm Center Building. He looked emotionless, as though his soul had been stripped away.

"Unauthorized deactivation of Duel Gauntlet host, identification number 0346426. Requesting reroute for system. Tapping into New Paradigm Tournament Records, password 4TF49#GY678. Activating new tournament entry. Host Selected. Reactivation in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

And when the countdown finally came to a close, the gauntlet transformed itself into it's plasma connection mode, and accordingly latched onto Kagome's wrist...taking with it all the pain of this fusion.

Her screams could be heard all throughout the building, a screech of such horrific intensity and anguish that every window within the floor upon which she lay vibrated. And when all was said and done, the gauntlet, now as white as Yami's own, had fully repaired.

For better or for worse, Kagome was now part of Hiei's twisted competition.

To Be Continued

Sorry this took so long, but I had a bigass paper due.

Ok, next chapter will end the duel of Yami and continue Yusuke's, the latter of which revealing an old nemesis who knows a bit too much about Spirit World policy. Kaiba must now confront the Dark Priestess Tsubaki, and in the process of tracking her discovers the truth about Michael Seebach. Raphael reveals the true might of Orichalcos, a new challenger attacks Roger, and Kagome must confront Yami no Marik in what will no doubt be an epic struggle, but will the shadow of Marik unveil his deadliest weapon once again? Tune in to find out!

Remember, READ, REVIEW, AND DO NOT PUT ME TO THE TORCH!!!

Oh, by the way, here are the original cards used:

King's Ransom: Property of Time Mage

Orichalcos God Soldier and Call to Honor: Property of yours truly.


	36. Brushing Against the Flames and the Pena...

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

Ok, so in our last chapter, Raphael prepared to strike down Inuyasha, while Yami and Kachikachi drew their duel to its final stages. Roger put the moves on Dorothy, Botan rejected Kaiba's proposal, Joey ended his duel, and Kagome was thrust into the tournament.

In this chapter, Yami no Marik shall arrive to challenge Kagome, the duel between Yami and Kachikachi will close, Yusuke shall continue his duel while a not so welcome guest arrives to watch, Kaiba will discover the truth about Michael Seebach, a new enemy attacks Roger, and we see exactly what Raphael can do.

By the way, Yami no Kenkaku means The Dark Swordsman.

Chapter 35: Brushing Against the Flames and the Penalty of Orichalcos

Yami vs. Kachikachi

"Well, Yami, did you draw whatever you were searching for? For even if you did, it shall be of no significance to you, for essentially, I control the field. You can't destroy the Orichalcos God Soldier, and if you try and attack any of my other monsters you will be at the mercy of my most powerful one. The only way you could possibly stand a chance of defeating me is to somehow mount a direct attack on my life points, and thanks to the Orichalcos Deuterosu I may negate any of those attacks by offering up a monster. So if you want to entertain those grand delusions, by all means go ahead. There is no hope for you in this situation, so you may as well go down with a shred of dignity."

The Pharaoh, however, was not paying much attention to Kachikachi's taunting, and had now focused in on his own hand. While he had certainly _drawn _Timaeus, there was no guarantee that it would respond to his command. After all, his main purpose in this duel, at the very core, was to exact swift and brutal vengeance against the samurai that had ruined his life, and Timaeus might not respond to such self-centered motives.

_Well, there's only one way to find out._

"Kachikachi, this duel ends here! I'll start by sacrificing my face down Sorcerer to summon the Catapult Turtle in attack mode!" As stated, the once mighty enchanter was absorbed into a blaze of golden incandescence, to be immediately replaced by a robotic turtle-like artillery piece. (1000/2000)

"Well, there goes my skepticism."

_"_Ha! What do you intend to do with some overgrown tortoise with a launching pad on its back? Apparently you have forgotten that if you sacrifice your Silent Magician you will automatically lose the duel, so there is no reason to summon that monster. And besides, on my next turn that monster will be nothing but wax for the Mugen-Dai…" 

"YAMI, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!! THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE SUMMONING WEAK MONSTERS WITH USELESS EFFECTS!!!"

Despite the misgivings of his fellows, despite the severity of the situation, and despite the powerful urge to just admit defeat, Yami knew what needed to be done. If this conflict was to be put to rest once and for all, then there was only one card that he could possibly activate.

"I'm afraid there won't be a next turn for you, Kachikachi. I activate the Magic Card, the Legendary Dragon, Eye of Timaeus!"

From the confines of Yami's most powerful magic could be sensed a nearly infinite power emerging from the depths of the Shadow Realm, and even before it emerged one could literally see the draconic aura that gave it such a potent bearing. And emerge it did, for from deep within the card soared out a leviathan of a dragon the likes of which had not been seen in over ten thousand years, not since the destruction of Atlantis. The beast, with venom green scales that would shield it from the blast of a nuclear holocaust and eyes that looked as though they could pierce the normal bindings of existence and glare at the souls of the wicked, was obviously not a creature of this world, and was more likely than not a beast of divinity.

It was a monster that Kachikachi had only seen once, in the most horrific of his prolific nightmares. This was the dragon that haunted him for nearly five thousand years, the wyrm that he saw in the eyes of the Pharaoh, of Sesshomaru, of Dartz. To the swordsman, this beast was not merely the guardian of Atlantis. To him, it was the guardian of Hell.

However, he did have one hope for walking away from here alive.

"It's over, Kachikachi. You know as well as I do that Timaeus and it's godly capacity of power far outranks Orichalcos. Before this turn is over, the Seal of Darkness will backfire upon you, and the world will at long last be cleansed of your malevolence…"

"Is that so, Nameless One? So let me ask this of you: would you be feeling any different of me had I not been partly responsible for the schism that separates you from your beloved slab of meat? If you can answer that question with a yes, then your Timaeus shall not work. And you of all people should know that Timaeus is extremely judgmental about the causes for which it is beckoned. So what drives you, Pharaoh? Lust? Hatred? Vengeance?"

But although the swordsman was overly confident in his abilities, as was his begrudging master, the priestess could indeed see that Yami's intent was pure; in fact, it was the purest of all human emotion, if perhaps the most confusing.

_He battles for love, Kachikachi._

"We shall see whose intent is just. Now, I offer up my Catapult Turtle to the Dragon of Atlantis, so that he may be reshaped into an even stronger creature!"

The activation of Timaeus now resulted in an effect similar to that of Polymerization, for the reptilian catapult was absorbed within the divine guardian, but unlike Polymerization, the end result would not be a fusion. Rather, it would be an empowerment, a new reinforcement that would allow any beast to become indomitable.

And when the Catapult Turtle reemerged, it was no longer a launch pad; it was a hovering, black-shelled tortoise with two missile batteries mounted atop it. And upon both launchers was the insignia of Timaeus. (1300/2800)

"Timaeus has heeded my cry, and by his grace I have summoned the Rocket Launcher Tortoise to the field, meaning that this duel is almost finished."

Exactly how the duel was about to end was over everybody's heads, seeing as no one had witnessed such a monster before. But if the Catapult Turtle was any guide, then it would likely require a sacrifice, one that the Pharaoh could not afford at this moment.

Yami, however, knew exactly what needed to be done, and it was all thanks to Kachikachi.

"An improvement from your original monster will do you no good. Even if you could somehow offer up your Silent Magician, its attack power is so low that it would barely scratch my life points."

"Who said this monster requires me to sacrifice my own monsters? Instead, it allows me to discard my entire hand, and at the same time remove my entire graveyard from play." As this was enacted, a set of three red fuel cells were slid into the reactor at the launcher's base. "Once this is done, I must reduce the attack of all other monsters on my side of the field to zero, whereupon those monsters, namely my Silent Magician, can activate the launch sequence and wipe out what's left of your life points." And as the Silent Magician lost what little remained of its attack strength, it jumped onto the control deck and activated the initial systems.

"What do you hope to accomplish with that monstrosity?"

"I'm glad you asked. Now, as you probably know, the Catapult Turtle allows a duelist to sacrifice any number of monsters on their side of the field and inflict damage equal to half of each monster's attack. This effect is loosely based on the original effect of the Catapult Turtle, except for a few key differences. Once the steep cost is dealt with, the Rocket Launcher Tortoise can sacrifice any monster on your side of the field, and both duelists will lose an amount of life points equal to a quarter of the sacrificed monsters attack points. But since I have no life points to begin with, I won't lose anything. So now, I will target…your Orichalcos God Soldier, which is not immune to tribute effects!"

At that moment, Kacikachi and Sesshomaru did the math in their heads, and came out to the number of life points that the samurai would lose: 3475, which exceeded his current totals.

"Damn you, Yami no Yuugi."

"You can say anything you like at this point, Kachikachi, for this duel is over! ROCKET LAUNCHER TORTOISE, SEND HIS ORICHALCOS GOD SOLDIER TO THE AFTERLIFE!!!"

It was quite fortuitous that Yami made the command at this point, for the Silent Magician had just finished calibrating the launch volley and had locked onto the target. Now, all it had to do was press the trigger, and the Yami no Kenkaku would be sent into an eternal prison of his own creation. 

All of the scanners gave the mage clearance; there was no way that the God Soldier could escape. And so the volley was launched, every warhead triggering an explode-on- impact setup as they shrieked towards the divine warlord.

But something did not add up; Yami knew that once the Orichalcos took a soul, it could only be released by the will of Dartz himself, and since Kachikachi had betrayed the Atlantean king, it was doubtful that mercy would be granted. So then why was there no emotion, not even anger, in the swordsman's eyes?

No one else noticed it; the two spectators were fascinated by the horrific fate of Kachikachi's beast, which steadfastly endure the first barrage of missiles, its armor cracking into pieces as each rocket slammed against the Orichalcos Stone. Each impact brought the warrior closer to its final end, and incidentally sprayed massive amounts of blood onto the ground, until finally, the mighty God Soldier met the fate of all mortals, and collapsed into death. (0/0)

Although he did not show it, the once proud Sesshomaru was in complete shock. Against astronomical odds and in spite of the brilliant game play of his greatest subordinate, the Pharaoh had actually triumphed._ How? How did that bastard do it? There was no way he could have drawn Timaeus exactly at the right time; it simply defies all logic. That is, unless his "Heart of the Cards" nonsense is real._

It did not really matter, though. When the time came, Yami no Yuugi and Inuyasha would both crumble before his own dueling deck. And knowing this, he turned, and walked into the darkness. _May you rot in your tomb forever, Kachikachi._

In all seriousness, though, Sesshomaru should have remained to see the real conclusion of the duel, for what happened next was unprecedented.

"Well, Yami, I must say that I am impressed. No one has ever been able to defeat me in the position I was in, so here, take your precious key that you have worked so hard for." With a single flick of his wrist, the samurai tossed his ultimate adversary the fifth identifier for tournament entry. "But my soul will not be so easily captured."

As he said this, the Orichalcos Seal began to contract, as it did whenever it was about to take a soul away. And yet, something did not feel right, for a dark presence was emanating from somewhere near Kachikachi. It only took Yami a minute to realize what he intended to do.

"I WILL NOT BE TAKEN BY MY OWN CARD, AND SO, BY THE POWER OF THE MUGEN-DAI, SUPREME BLADE OF THE ORICHALCOS, I UNLOCK THE SEAL!!!"

Since the powerful Crest of Atlantis had now receded so that Kachikachi was standing in the center of it, the time had arrived for his last resort. With a new plan and new resolve, he drew out his legendary sword, which was glowing a vibrant green in response to the Orichalcos, and lifted it over his head. "YAMI! Did you really believe that I could be destroyed by my own weapon? Well, if that is the case, then you shall pay the ultimate price for your senility!" And in one swift motion, he swung the blade down onto the Seal. 

Nothing happened. For the moment.

"It appears that your plan did not work."

"Really? Well, if you believe that, take a closer look!"

And that is when Yami noticed them: thousands of hairline cracks, stemming from the impact point of Kachikachi's sword. It was unbelievable; normally, only the Stone of Orichalcos could cause such a fracture.

It could only mean one thing: the Mugen-Dai was indeed crafted of the legendary Orichalcos steel, a fact that no one had ever been able to confirm.

"Now, Yami, I may not be able to take your soul, so your life will be a welcome substitute." Even as the Orichalcos began to fracture at its borders, even as the imminent fusion of Shadow and Divine energies was at hand, the samurai saw fit to execute one of his strongest attacks. Charging right at Yami, Kachikachi allowed the blade to become engulfed in an azure flame, in which was blended some traces of black magic.

"DIE, PHARAOH!!! ORICHALCOS KAGUZUCHI!!!"

Kaiba's Hotel Room

Now, in Kaiba's experience, he had seen a multiple number of things that could not be explained with normal scientific theories, which he usually accredited to an optical illusion or a temporary breach in mental health. In response to this his advisors had seen fit to get some kind of psychological help for him, but it was rarely effective or even remotely interesting, so all he could really do was to try and deal with it on his own terms.

But this time…something definitely was beyond his normal brainwave patterns, and it would take more than simple madness to explain it. In a matter of only two days, the entirety of his basis for life had been rocked to the core; he had seen a holy man who just happened to be a lecherous pig, a demon slayer with a rapidly deteriorating self esteem, a murdering psychic, and strangest of all, a "priestess" who appeared to worship before the altar of Satan.

Somehow, he would have to conquer his natural skepticism, and in the process accept what he had always dismissed as "hocus-pocus mind tricks." If he had any intention of surviving the wrath of the despot of Paradigm, he would need to use a power that was even more abstract than his Shadow magic; he would need to utilize the powers of mysticism, and by that path realize a new level of conciousness.

Or he could duel the living shit out of anybody that stood in his way. It was an open discussion on that one.

_So, you want a duel, Tsubaki? In that case, I'll be more than happy to serve you your head on a platter._ Of course, he realized that this particular match might be the hardest so far, since all of the enemies he had faced thus far had been incompetent; Joey could have demolished them all with the greatest of ease. Well, perhaps not Joey, but anybody with a decent talent for the game could.

And Tsubaki's reputation worried him, since this was not the first time she had appeared in the dueling world's eyes. From what he had gathered, it was she that had dominated the Peking tournament three months ago up until another duelist named Onigumo had demolished her. Still, it was not to say she could not be beaten again, by a duelist of his caliber.

The duel may not have worried him much, but as usual, something beyond that was knocking at his mental threshold, begging to be accepted and recognized. It was a simple enough pondering, but the ramifications that would result from it were staggering.

_It can only mean one thing. Hiei has been luring all of his enemies here, drawing them to his lair as would a spider so that he can slay all of those that have called him out to battle. This can also explain why I saw the name of Dartz on that roster; that bastard must have tred on Jagenshi's feet somehow._

In spite of the wickedness of the Demon God's little scheme, Kaiba did have to admit that it was brilliantly executed. Even after all his research into the military plans of some of the greatest generals of all time, he could never have found a plan quite as elaborate and conniving; in all, it was a plan that Gozaburo himself would have cried at.

_For this I shall offer you my admiration, nothing more._

And now, to arms.

His deck, slightly heavier for the three cards given him by his idiotic opposition, now stood ready to face an adversary of real merit. To tell the truth, this had been the first match in a very lengthy period of time that he was anxious to start. Not since his crushing demolition at Alcatraz had he been so prepared, and for the first time, he felt that God was on his side.

Kaiba stepped out of his room with the usual look he had upon himself as he was to enter a serious duel, one of a cold indifference, ready to smite those that stood against his dragons and his Egyptian God. But there was something else, buried in the chasms of those frozen eyes, for on this day Kaiba had found his heart of the cards, and it wasn't in his dragons or his god.

It was in a sexy little reaper for whom he would conquer the Earth one day.

Also in a routinal fashion, the ex-World Champion set out for the doorway, hand outstretched to turn the doorknob. Only two things could possibly deter him from his challenge: the news that Wheeler had finally been sent back to the jungle…

…and the warm arms and sweet kiss in which he was now enveloped.

"Going somewhere, are you? And to think you didn't invite me."

Her heartbeat. He could feel it, by some odd twist of fate, and for some reason it coincided with his own pulse, as though to confirm the passion and care that had been there all along.

"Botan, I have to head out. Some lunatic challenged me to a duel at Rosewater Tower, and it may prove useful for me to win. How well can you handle yourself?"

"The only reason Seebach caught me is because his men snuck up on me. Besides, I can't imagine anything that could shatter Makai steel." She was, of course, referring to the item she removed from nowhere: a beautiful katana, with a handle covered in the hide of a lion and made of the finest redwood. The guard was a platinum affair with four sapphires that had been fashioned into the kanji of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. And the blade, well, the blade was beyond mortal description, but at best account it seemed to glow in the luminous sheen of the spirits, while the edge could have hewn the armor of a tank with ease.

"The Reikon Tsurugi, my father's legacy. You can hold it, if you want."

Kaiba agreed, fist curling around the hilt, and it suddenly drew him into a fighting stance that he instantly recognized as the Hiten Mitsurugi. He could feel the energies of the world's greatest sword masters flowing through him even as he grasped it.

"Incredible. I'm guessing that it has the same effect for all who hold it."

She smiled slightly, and lifted the blade out of his hands. "To a level. When my father had it crafted, he had already become a master sword fighter, and it was this skill that he wanted to pass onto his children, and any who followed him in the Reaper line. So he fused this and other styles within it, and when he left he deemed it given to his next of kin. That was me, of course, but to prove myself I had to defeat a demon of extraordinary capabilities with the edged weapon. That demon was Hiei."

"Somehow that makes sense. But I'm assuming it worked."

"Not really. I defeated him, but only because I caught the little son of a bitch off guard." With a spin of the hand, the Soul Blade vanished again. "If I'm ever going to find peace, I'll have to defeat him on my own merits. No tricks for me, no Eye for him."

"Well, I'll give you one thing; you have an admirable sense of pride and honor that I haven't seen since Yugi Mouto. The way I see it, Jagenshi will have to cheat to defeat you."

"We both know he will."

It was getting late; even above the clouds sunlight is not eternal, and he could see the Tower, looming over all like some kind of devilish tyrant. "Alright, you stay here; luckily Hiei's Eye can't track, and if worse comes to worse…" At that point he placed two small orbs into her hand. They were connected by a small electrical current. "Whatever you do, don't separate them enough to disrupt the electrical connection beam."

"I thought you designed game systems, Seto."

"Well, I had some free time and a plethora of materials from the old company." And with a flourish, Kaiba walked into the hall, unaware of the ancient evil he was about to disturb. For although he did not know it at the time, Tsubaki and the duel in which he was about to contend would bring to light an unspeakable plot. Performing such a deed was the last thing on his mind, though, and it was pushed even farther back when his handheld organizer began to hum. _Perfect. The information I requested must have finally been processed._

During Kaiba's research into the New Paradigm Archives, he had come across a number of unsettling names listed in the Duelist Roster, including the names of Amelda and Marik. But one that stuck out from any of the others was Schwarzvald's real name, Michael Seebach. 

This name had not been a new one for the president of Kaiba Corp. In fact, he had dealt with Seebach about five months ago, when he had threatened to reveal Kaiba's involvement in the death of his stepfather. The only thing that would prevent this revelation was if he agreed to give Schwarzvald the blueprints recovered from Paradigm City; it was obvious that Seebach was not an idiot if he had access to that knowledge. He had given the madman what he wanted, which was just some city plans, and never heard from him again.

His name had raised a mental red flag. Somehow Kaiba had recalled it, like from an old story he'd long forgotten, and now, the data stood before him. In that moment, Kaiba remembered everything.

Michael Seebach, the man who now was Schwarzvald, had at one time been the Duel Monsters World Champion. Purportedly his career as a duelist began in response to the ever increasing cost of maintaining a normal lifestyle while hunting "the truth", and thus entered every major tournament to gain massive profits. He was literally undefeated, and it was even rumored that he had bested Pegasus, but this proved to be a publicity boost for a dirty reporter.

What was true was that the reporter in question was found in a meat grinder three days later.

As time went by, Seebach's quest had finally brought him to the Duel Monsters Tournament in Osaka about fifteen years ago. It was the last round of the events, and the neurotic journalist had been close to unstoppable; legend has it that not one of his opponents was able to deal more than 500 life points of damage before the last match.

It was this tournament that meant the most to Seebach. If he lost this, everything he had worked for would go down the drain, because he had placed all of his winnings on the match.

He expected that it would be an easy win. But it was the exact opposite.

Michael Seebach, try as he might, could not defend against his final opponent, and every attack proved useless. His monsters were systematically decimated, his magic was constantly negated, and his traps were useless. In the end, the soon-to-be Schwarzvald had been beaten, and with that loss went all of his money, all of his funding, and his glorious title. He left that arena a broken man.

Kaiba looked at the information, and remembered the story of the greatest duelist that ever lost everything. And with it, he remembered who had crushed him, and why he had entered the tournament.

_The victor in that match…had been Solomon Mouto._

Outside the museum

The deed was done.

Up until that moment, the populace of the world had perceived Raphael as a man of indomitable physical strength, as well as an unequaled dueling legend, but without any genuine supernatural potency. But in a single flare of ultimate dark magic, he had devastated this entire block, and that misconception with it. There were no cars that had not been overturned, a water main had burst open about twenty yards to the left, and by for whatever reason, a small electrical fire had burst out in the museum's left wing. As was the norm in this city, a panic began to erupt, except this time there appeared to be a string of people that tossed themselves off of apartment buildings.

And in the midst of the third instance of doomsday lay Tea and Inuyasha, alive, if barely so, on the steps of the ruined museum, cradling each other so as to survive the blast.

No order could be maintained for very long and sending police to relieve the strain did not help. This was attributed to the fact that those had not gone into a mental breakdown were under the delusion that the suits at Paradigm's head were trying to cage them, a product of Schwarzvald and his conspiracy theories.

_I tried to hold back as much of the Orichalcos magic as I possibly could, dog demon; after all, you're of no use to us dead._

It was a fact, and although Raphael believed that his new adversary's soul had no point anyway, he also knew that his opinions were not really that significant at this point. By this point, he now understood that in the grand scheme of the world, there was no room for billions of insignificant voices raising their crooked hands to the skies and spewing out random lines of garbage, when there was a key group of people who actually saw reality and could enunciate it so very clearly but could not be heard for the other lepurs. 

_Now is the time for silence, a time to reawaken this world that has gone so very far astray from the path that it should have taken. I may have walked that path years ago, too young and naïve to see the sins of humanity, too unlearned to know of the past truths behind the world, but now, I walk in the steps of Paradise. Whether by my hand or that of Master Dartz, this world shall be purged, and from it, civilization shall be reborn again._

The smoke and dust intertwined, giving Raphael some much needed shade and cover

_Rest while you can, Lord Inuyasha, if you are indeed alive. If your duels with Sesshomaru were any guide, you will need it._

In the distance could be heard alarms, thousands of them, and the man who had endured a living hell for three years turned away from one he had created. Even a DOOM Soldier knew exactly when a strategy of flight was needed. Given the circumstances of the situation, his presence was the last thing needed at the disaster sight, since he was considered to be dead by the rest of the world. 

This was exactly how he wanted it.

After reaching a position about two hundred feet from the scene of devastation, Raphael drew from his pocket his dueling deck, one of only two comforting things he had left in this world. Certainly, it was this mass of cards that had saved him from being hurtled into a spiral of madness, and playing card strategies over and over in his mind prevented the scenes of his sibling's horrific demise from manifesting themselves. Of course, these coping strategies had no effect on his subconscious mind, in which the collapse of his life had been played out on multiple occasions. Nothing could stop those pictures from reemerging in his head, and he doubted anything would make him able to cope with the tragedy which had shaped his life.

But then, he was one of the lucky ones. Unlike another of his group, he'd actually been able to walk his life without ever plunging into dementia. Unlike another of his group, he had been able to look reality in the eye, and see the world for what is was. Raphael had handled that truth. His ally had not been as fortunate.

_Well, speak of the devil._

Somehow the others in New Paradigm had not seen the other hulking tower of a man that seemed to dissolve in shadows and light, the man that stood beside Raphael at that moment. He stood about the same height as his compatriot, with slicked-back sable hair that only had one strand out of place. Dressed entirely in black and grey that befitted his persona, it was his face that drew people's attention first. It was gaunt, worn as though he had returned from a prison camp, with a perpetual grin that implied that he was not a very stable person to begin with. And his eyes… they were almost soulless, but forever laced with the heart of a butcher. Upon his right arm was the only feature that steered away from a lunatic's motif, which was his white Duel Gauntlet, stained in human blood. 

"Aren't you going to finish the demon off, Raphael?" His sneer was guttural, cold, as though human life was nothing but an anomaly.

"You know we can't do that. Inuyasha's no use to us dead."

"Then can we at least get rid of Gardener? She saw you, and if kept alive she'll tell the Pharaoh."

For very distinct reasons, Raphael had never been fond of this particular DOOM Soldier. What Dartz had in mind was a noble cause; this psychotic only wanted to kill all of humanity for his own self-validation.

"That's exactly what we want. If Yami knows we are here, he'll be bound to come after us, whereupon we can crush him. After all, he and I still have a score to settle. And last I checked you and your others have a rematch in mind for yourselves."

The dark titan stepped towards the parked Corvette and leaned on it. "Dartz may have dictated our attack plan, but we both know he has something of an ego problem. And from what I have seen so far, his actions will not produce the desired effect in time. Let me loose upon this world and the traitor that rules it, and I shall be able to wipe it away."

There was now a strained peace between the two, one that could not survive for very long._ Somehow this moron fails to see the truth that exists before him. And I will not allow him to decimate all we have struggled for to appease to his psychosis._

_"_You could not even wipe Dartz away, and when last I checked he is only one of the most powerful beings on this Earth. Besides, our primary objective is to save this world, not annihilate it, so you can inform your other personalities their services won't be required." The dark warrior chuckled slightly._ Idealistic buffoon._

_"_Well, it won't matter for too much longer. Once this tournament is over, your master is next on my list. And when I find you we shall put to rest our little strife."

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Remember, I still outrank you, and once you turn on me, you turn on DOOM, and in doing this you turn on Dartz. And I am certain you will not want to face him again."

"Point well taken. But don't expect any mercy when your precious cult leader has to face me. I may have sworn allegiance to him, but only to topple Yusuke."

And with one leap, the maniacal soldier hurled off into other parts of the city. Raphael, in turn, strode to his chopper, and mounted it, the cold handlebars familiar beneath his palms as the engine awoke with a great bellow.

"This isn't over, Shinobu Sensui."

Hotel Hallway

To this day, no one could ever really confirm what caused Kagome to black out first; the almost unbearable pain of the Duel Gauntlet fusion, or the shock of being forced into Hiei's warped contest. What is known is that her brief period of unconciousness came to a close about a minute later, and that somehow her deck had been placed in the recognizer slot, meaning her rarest card had already been registered. There was no way about it now; Kagome was officially a Hellfire Tournament contender.

Having come to this reality, the priestess incarnate stood, shakily, to her feet, eyes once again unfocused and bleary. Perspective was corrupted to her eyes; she could barely register how far away the nearest doorway was. But as she staggered forward, all senses shocked into a haze, her thoughts were totally focused on two things: to find and apologize to Yami no Yuugi and to somehow figure out what little plan the bastard demon had in store for her.

_I didn't even understand what plans Hiei had in store for me from the start, and why he kept me alive for so very long. He may have presented himself as a sadistic butcher, but I can tell that he does not murder senselessly. Whatever life he takes is all part of some master plan of his, and if a move is made, you know it has something to do with the bigger picture. He must know I won't help him find the last jewel shard, and if he wanted to find anything else he could have dug deeper with his Sennen Eye. And in all seriousness, if he wanted to deal with Inuyasha he could have done so by now._

_What do you know, Hiei that makes you want to kill me so?_

But as her vision became clearer, so did her thought process. 

It just didn't make sense. If Yami no Bakura was intended to keep her in captivity, as Hiei obviously had hoped to accomplish, then the odds were that she would not have been removed from the compound in which she had been imprisoned. And if a transfer was to be made, Hiei would have an armored convoy, not just a lone general taking on the King of Games himself. And if Hiei had needed her in his custody…then he would not have allowed her to get to the hotel!

It made little sense, and it was by far one of the Demon God's strangest ploys yet. But could the deific ruler of Spirit World have intents that no one else in the entire world could see, a plan that extended into the bizarre and usually asinine, or was he so brilliant that he knew that only such a plan could work? 

Had the hateful monstrosity and his giant vice ring intended to give Kagome to the enemy?

She could see them now, all of the Black Shadow. Schwarzvald puffing a cigar and scribbling some random lines into his notebook. Yami no Bakura knocking back wine like it was New Years with one of Hiei's women. Yoko growing his devil plants and feeding them blood. Sesshomaru, whom she knew had been hired, lying back, eyes cold and void as he watched his peers, cradling the Tetsuaiga. The hideous Kuwabara ogling some broad as he struggled to string together a coherent sentence under his drunken stupor. Genkai, ending the life of a few pathetic stragglers. And at the head she could see that son of a bitch Hiei, Puzzle and Jewel in hand, laughing with his warriors as he told them, once again, how he conquered the world by leaking a pathetic miko into the Pharaoh's arms.

It horrified Kagome, this perverted little vision in her mind. Anybody else, even Naraku, but not that freak. Not that…devil. How would she live with herself if the Heart of the Cards was shattered because she was too blind to realize Hiei had used her?

Her heart grew cold, for a moment, before a playful little grin spread across her face._ You screwed up this time, you freaky midget. By trying to manipulate me, you've given me the power to slay you and everyone in your entire Mafia-wannabe group._Granted, such a task would not be easy; Jagenshi and the Black Shadow were not easily bested, that much was certain. After all, if Hiei wanted to survive this tournament, he would need access to the rarest and deadliest cards in the game. And since he was the head of the single most powerful crime syndicate in all of New Paradigm, getting his hands on those cards would be as easy as finding sunlight.

And yet, facing his gang of cutthroat duelists did not seem so frightening as it should have. Sure, Hiei had some of the top ranked duelists on earth, but his enemies were champions, like Kaiba, Joey, and especially her boyfriend Yami.

Strange, she thought to herself. A year ago such a title would have gone to Inuyasha, before all the madness had started, before the beast with a messiah complex had emerged. Now, she guessed he was one of her closest friends, as it had been from the start. I hope he can accept that. He's become so violent recently, if he finds out I love someone else, he might go ballistic on everyone in the city…

But what happened next drove all thoughts of Pharaohs and hanyous out of her mind. 

A horrified shriek in the distance, prolonged for exactly five and one half seconds, split the air and rendered any attempts at self-contemplation useless. It was loud, grating, obviously the scream of a coward. And yet, strangely familiar…

_It can't be…_

Another yell, closer and louder this time, preceded by slow footsteps, the tread of a murderer. Still, she could not place it, and to make matters worse a thick black shroud of fog, or so it appeared to be, had settled upon the field. 

The third and final screech rang throughout the hall, immediately followed by a cruel snicker, and the unsheathing of a dagger. The acoustics had become so bad it was impossible to estimate the length.

At that moment, the essense of shadow stepped into view.

This new enemy was a powerful and intimidating figure, draped in a cloak of deepest night, with the shirt to match. Khaki cargo pants held a number of edged weapons, some stained with blood, others glistening with fresh hunger for it. His sun bleached hair, for whatever reason, seemed to stand by itself. And like Hiei, he had three eyes: two relatively normal eyes, save for their amethyst color and the fact that they were absolutely soulless, and one created of shadow, a glowing mark of the Sennen. Upon his left arm was a Duel Gauntlet, which had tentacles of dark energy flowing around its white surface.

In his right was held a demon, a rather small fox demon that looked to be only seven or eight. His eyes were watery, but closed, indicating he had slipped into unconciousness during his tortured cries. Marking his face was a fresh tattoo, carved into his forehead, akin to the symbol upon this lunatic's head.

He had aged slightly, his build had deteriorated, but Kagome now recognized this demon.

"Sh…sh…shippo?"

The monster that had inflicted the wound now had a perverse grin upon his already corrupted features.

"Well, I am glad to see that you recognize your old friend after all of this time, Lady Kagome. He was quite fortunate, however; had I not been occupied with a more important task I would have gladly stripped life from him." His voice seemed rather unusual, as it was almost bi-tonal in its reverberation, and it gave the girl a strange feeling of being in conversation with Baalzebub. "But the young demon is of no meaning to me, but rather, it is your life that I have come for, and it is on this day that I will send you into oblivion, body and soul!" From deep within this monster was generated a grating laugh of such madness and depravity that Kagome could barely endure it. And that was not all about this wicked entity that bothered her. The physics of this bizarre phenomenon, along with the theological conflicts involved therein, are much too complicated to review in any great detail, so this is the basic sense of what happened at intervals of high emotion, such as now.

In a sense, his face, or the illusion of his face created by a fusion of Spirit and Shadow powers, seemed to pull away from the original.

Terrified, Kagome jumped back as it happened, eyes wide in fear and disgust. She could not be too sure as to what this thing was, but she had a strong hunch that it was somehow connected to the Sennen Items, and in particular…to Yami.

"What do you want?"

The beast, seeming to have grown bored of holding Shippo by the head, tossed the kitsune aside. "My request is relatively simple. All you have to do is defeat me in a duel. Or is it not so simple after all?"

The words of this dark spirit were lost on Kagome; the only thing really different was this fog, and it wasn't completely unusual.

Until she saw them all. Ghostly blobs, squirming and writhing in eternal torment as they slowly crawled off into another part of this strange world. Very rarely, one or two would stare up at her, and if she looked back, she could see images of people. They were all frightened, scared, and barely able to stop from going mad in their own perpetual damnation.

"We are no longer in the world you know, foolish girl. We have entered…a Shadow Game! The stakes in the infamous Heart of Darkness are much higher than those of a silly card game, for if you should enter and lose, not only will you suffer the horrors of a Punishment Game, but your soul will be akin to those others, those globules of torture, accursed to wander this realm forever! And do not think that the Pharaoh is excluded from my wrath, for once I conquer his beloved priestess I shall demolish him and his hikari, and take the power I was destined to wield from the start. As for Shippo, his soul and body will meet the same fate if you don't defeat me!"

_Wait!_

"Hang on, why did you just call me "priestess"? And what does Yami have to do with this?"

"I'll tell you all you want to know…if you survive long enough!" (4000/4000)

Yusuke vs. Zeru

"Things aren't looking so good for you, are they? I guess its Dark Tournament all over again, but maybe I'll go easy on your sorry ass. After all, you've got nothing to defend you, and I doubt you have anything that can beat my attack advantage."

"Well, if you think that is the case, Yusuke, then I'll have to disagree! First off, I'll start by activating my own Pot of Greed, to draw two cards. I'll then place one card face down, and special summon the beast known as Inferno in attack mode. Of course, to summon this particular monster, I must remove one monster in my graveyard from play, and it must be a Fire-type in addition, so I thank you for destroying those three monsters!"

Zeru's eyes flickered as he placed the Inferno card upon the field, and drew his Fire Princess out of the graveyard. In response, the flame royalty reemerged onto the field, only to be consumed in a flare of some type of incandescence. And from the conflagration emerged Zeru's next monster.

To be honest, the fire beast had no real shape, and seemed to possess a physical form only by whatever magic had spawned it in the first place. But from what he could see of this demon's form, Yusuke could easily determine that it was demonic in origin. It appeared to be a pillar of fire about ten feet tall, and within seconds a face emerged of the fire, akin to that of the Balrog he had destroyed. (1100/1600) After about three seconds of observation, the Inferno tapped into the field bonus. (1600/1200)

And although it was stronger than the Fire Princess that had been used to summon it, Yusuke was not very impressed.

"This is your big plan? If that's all you've got, then you may as well just go crying home to your mommy." It may be able to get through my Tokens, but by the next turn I'll be able to take it down.It was then that an unexpected turn of events came to pass.

_"_You are indeed a jackass, Urameshi, for if you were, as you claim, a powerful duelist, then you would recognize my creature's true strength. While it is true that my monster has low attack power, it does have the advantage of its special effect, meaning that every time I destroy one of your monsters with it you shall receive 1500 life points of direct damage. And it only gets worse from there, because now I will summon the Raging Flame Sprite in attack mode!"

Another monster of the flame was called upon, this time a devilish little imp that danced around an open witchcraft fire. (100/200) "And like all of my fire monsters, this new monster shall gain 500 extra attack points!" (600/0) "Now, to take down your life points! Inferno, destroy his first Spirit Token with Fires of the Netherworld!" As commanded, the fire soul sent a barrage of blazing skulls into the air, whereupon they exploded with a force similar to that of mortar shells. Next, a hail of a napalm-like substance rained down upon the cherub, sticking to its skin and resulted in a gruesome blaze that reduced the spirit down to a burning pile of muscle and blood. Finally, a jet of greasy fire shot up from the carcass and into Yusuke's face. (2000/4700) "Now, Flame Sprite, use your special effect and attack his life points directly!" With a snickering laugh, the diminutive fairy picked up a wicker ball that was coated in pitch, and placed it into the fire pentagram, at which point it combusted and was blasted into the Spirit Detective's stomach. (1400/4700)

"Well, how the tables have turned, Yusuke. And it won't be getting any easier, since the Flame Sprite gains 1000 attack points each time it accomplishes a direct attack." With another grin, the pixie opened a flask of mead that popped out of the flame, and immediately forced it down into the throat. (1600/0) "On my next turn, both of my monsters shall be able to plow through your life points, so you may as well take your final turn." But as he said this, a marvelously devious plan registered in Zeru's mind. It was one he had never seriously considered using, but since Yusuke had been so obnoxious, now seemed the perfect time to try it. "In fact, let's make this match…interesting. Now I call upon the FIRE AURA CHAMBER!"

Now, spending three years in eternal damnation can be rather tedious, and with most creatures the immense boredom is what proves to be the ultimate punishment. In the case of demons, this lack of activity has a slightly different effect; should a demon be resurrected or return to the living world in any mode or form, even reincarnation, their Spirit Energy undergoes a startling transformation, adapting and increasing itself as it would have over the period of death at extraordinary speeds. In other words, the demonic ki makes up for lost time. And one of Zeru's capabilities gained while sealed in Hell was the power to create something of a cage match arena hewn of Makai flame, a skill that he now saw fit to execute.

With a deranged cackle, Zeru channeled the Fire Aura throughout his entire body, as he normally did. But unlike his previous usage of the demon flame, his conflagration continued to spread, encircling the two duelists in a manner not dissimilar to the Seal of Orichalcos. From this enclosure sprang a blazing wall of flames, and it all Yusuke could do not to collapse from the heat.

_Damn it! He must have at least tripled his Spirit Energy to be capable of using it like this!_

And indeed he had. 

"It ends here, Spirit Detective. Chu may have spared your life in our last battle, but rest assured that I will offer no such charity. And know this: once a duelist loses, the Fire Aura shall strike him down, reducing him to a pile of ashes. So draw your next card, and pray to God that it is powerful enough to defeat my deck!"

Yusuke, as he placed his hand upon the deck to draw, suddenly began to feel dizzy, his hand moving in and out of focus, while even his Spirit energy seemed distant and alien.

_No. I have to keep my head clear…long enough…_

With a shaky hand, Yusuke drew his next card. For about a moment he could not discern what it was, seeing as the heat and his steady loss of life points had disorientated him. Until he finally managed to figure out what card he had called upon.

"Now I sacrifice my second Soul Token to summon Suzaku in attack mode!" As stated, Yusuke's Soul Token was absorbed in a flare of brilliance, and in exchange for the tribute stood one of his deadliest monsters. Like the unhinged Saint Beast that the Detective had faced almost four years ago, the "phoenix" took on the form of a fair-skinned human with flaring orange hair that was countered by two bright red tentacular growths. The angelic looking being was robed in dark burgundy, whilst he held in the right hand an ornate metal flute. (2300/2800) "And I have to thank you for playing that Molten Destruction card and empowering my own monster, but I think I'll let my monster do that for me!" (2800/2400) "Of course, that won't really matter once the effect of Suzaku kicks in, which puts the smack down on every magic and trap on your side of the field based on the number of cards in your hand! And since you have only two magic or trap cards on the field, Suzaku will destroy both of them anyway! Now Suzaku, activate Flute of Decimation!"

Suzaku placed the flute to his mouth and began to perform one of his darkest pieces. It was a haunting tune, somewhat akin to the calliope refrain in a carnival that has been abandoned for years. And after about a moment or so, two great streams of flames hurled towards Zeru's Magic and Trap cards.

"I'm afraid it's too late, Urameshi! I activate the face down card, Ultimate Offering, which will allow me to pay 500 life points, and in exchange, enact a Normal Summon or Set, so I will use this card to place a monster in face down defense mode by sacrificing my Sprite and my Inferno!" (2000/4200) Much as Yusuke's monster had been absorbed to call Suzaku, so were Zeru's two monsters, but in exchange for a face down monster. Still, it could not save his cards, and soon after the field returned to normal.

_Weird. If he could summon a monster that outranks my Suzaku, then why would he play it in defense mode? It must have a high defense; it's the only reason he'd do something like that. Still, I might have a plan to stop him, but it'll be risky._

"Alright, I activate this Magic card, Block Attack, which will switch my Suzaku into defense mode and allow him to stay on the field, followed by one card face down."

"Brilliant, and now, it's my move!" Zeru drew another card, and it was the perfect one for this situation. "Now, Yusuke, I shall flip my face down monster face up, my Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, into attack mode!"

The beast that now stood before them both was a towering humanoid that stood over ten feet high, rippling muscles tatooed with various Polynesian symbols. But the most outstanding feature of this monster was the fact that its head was essentially a bonfire. (2800/2900)

"And now, to end this duel. I equip my beast with Fairy Meteor Crush, which shall allow me to inflict damage onto your life points, even if your monster is in defense mode. NOW, HINO-KAGU-TSUCHI, DESTROY HIS LAST SOUL TOKEN WITH FIST OF PELE!"

In the distance, unseen by any, an ominous figure loomed over the proceedings, watching with rapt attention.

_Let's see you pull a victory out of this one, Urameshi._

Roger's Apartment

When a certain android woman had arrived in a certain negotiator's apartment seven years beforehand, neither expected the chain of events that were set into motion during that time. Over their first year of each other's presence, the two faced an eccentric "super criminal" with a strange taste for hideous golden suits, a deranged reporter with a messiah complex, an exact copy of the android with a hunger for the macabre, a maniacal cyborg who merely served as a messenger for a greater evil, and of course the wicked businessman who ran the entire show.

But now, all of the chaos that the past few years had brought to them was finally about to come to an end. If either or both of them somehow managed to survive Hiei's three-ringed circus, then in time they would be able to escape the hell of Paradigm, new and old. And in all seriousness it did not matter if Roger took home the prize; all he needed to do was gain entrance to the Duel Fortress and locate the real memories.

In all fairness, though, he was not totally focused on the events of what was to come, for at that moment he was desperately struggling to remember the steps to his current dance, along with keeping up with his dance partner.

_Why the hell did she have to pick a WALTZ?!_

Now at the best of times in a waltz, he was able to move with the best dancers in the world. But unknown to anyone, largely because of his unparalleled poker face, it was this particular routine that gave him the most trouble. It was swift and rather complicated to him. Dorothy might have seen the trouble which he had with the waltz, and subconsciously he wondered if she had selected this dance just to piss him off.

Roger thought about this for a second or so, and decided not to pursue that suspicion.

The beat began to pick up, as did the pace at which the two danced. And for whatever reason, the negotiator felt warmth emitting from Dorothy's waist. It was likely heat energy given off from the girl's mechanics, but there was some comfort in how close it felt to real human temperature. It seemed to be a more genuine sensation than that of most of the women he had been with.

All in all, everything had somehow worked out.

The two continued to dance, unaware of the fact that the music had long since run out, keeping the beat that had been started at the last piece. At that point, it would not have mattered if the wrath of God was raining down upon them; they would still have danced. Even if Hiei himself had broken into the apartment and started shooting people left and right, the dance would have remained uninterrupted.

Love or naivete? You tell me.

It was an unusual circumstance for the former playboy of Paradigm, a position which had literally been voted on just for the hell of it. For about five years before he met Dorothy and his journey into the underbelly of Paradigm began, he had gone from woman to woman much as he had gone from assignment to assignment. But now, this just felt…right. For the first time in many years, he felt as though he was at peace with the world.

For the first time, he understood what love truly was.

Somehow the two separated, and Roger allowed himself to place his hand upon Dorothy's cheek. Once cold, robotic eyes now lit up, and a smile played across her face.

"Stay right there, negotiator. I'll be right back."

With a small twist of the hips for his benefit, the android walked off towards the old chambers in which she had stayed all those years ago, and Roger returned to his original position on the couch. Love may blind you from any pain or suffering, but remove the love and it all comes crashing on your head.

In fact, it all came back: his exhaustion from the duel with Red Destiny, the shock of finding Dorothy, Angel's sudden reemergence, and his own personal reflections on life.

_I need a drink._

Staggering to his feet, Roger moved towards the bar he had set up in this and every part of the penthouse, and poured out the gin he had brought up. Knocking it back, he decided to stand there, waiting for his robotic love, mulling on life and whether it was a saint or a dirty whore.

Nothing made a lot of sense to him right now; he'd never felt this way about anybody, and already he had become addicted to the feeling. There was also Seebach's employment for the Demon God. If Schwarzvald claimed not to be a puppet of the corrupted Paradigm officials, then why was he serving as a vassal under Hiei?

_Life's a bitch, isn't it?_

This theory, however inaccurate, was confirmed to him in that moment, for without warning, a thunderous blast from below rocked the entire building. To Be Continued 

FINALLY DONE!!!

Ok, next chapter begin's Inuyasha's hunt for a duel, while we find out what happens with Yami and Kachikachi. Roger's next enemy reveals himself, Yusuke ends his duel, Kaiba starts his, and Kagome prepares to face down Yami no Marik. 

UNTIL THEN, READ AND REVIEW


	37. Schism of the Shadow and the Return of t...

Disclaimer: What am I, anime mogul of the universe?

Ok, last chapter started the duel between Kagome and Yami no Marik, as well as end the match between Yami and Kachikachi. Also, Kaiba discovered the truth about Michael Seebach, Yusuke continued his battle, Sensui was introduced, and Roger was attacked.

This chapter shall end the duel between Yusuke and Zeru, while at the same time start up Kagome's first duel. Kaiba also confronts Tsubaki, Inuyasha begins the highly anticipated duel with Raphael, Roger faces the man who attacked him, and Yami faces Kachikachi and his blade. And as a special bonus, Hiei reveals exactly how warped he is when Sesshomaru crosses him.

Let's start the chap!

WARNING: Some sadistic brutality in the second part of the chapter. View at your own discretion.

Chapter 36: Schism of the Shadow and the Return of the Emissary

Kagome vs. Yami no Marik

For all of his madness, for all of nefarious proclivities, and for all of his delusions of grandeur, Yami no Marik knew that this tournament was to be historic.

Somehow, the shadow of a tomb keeper knew in his heart that what happened on this day and all days to follow were to be remembered for all of eternity in the annals of mankind. It had taken close to five thousand years to come to this moment, but he _knew _that Jagenshi and his quest for deific might would lead to the greatest tale ever told by man. Everyone who was involved in this event would become household words, history teachers would depict in vivid detail the circumstances that led up to each and every duel, and most of all, they would tell tales of the ascension of a new Pharaoh, and the banishment of the old one.

And it would all start with his first draw.

"I'll start by summoning the monster known as Makyura the Executioner in attack mode, followed by two cards face down on the field. Next, I shall activate the Field Magic Card, Mystic Plasma Zone, which will increase the overall power of any Dark monster on the field by 500 points, but in the process decreases their overall defense by 400." With a deranged grin, the dark mind of the Pharaoh's servant summoned to the field an immense soldier that was fully protected by the armor of the Demon World forge, with the only breach of theme being the ominous Sennen mark upon it's eyes. (1600/1200) And to empower the great slayer of Makai emerged a cloud of unstable Shadow energies that poured deep into the warrior's black heart. (2100/800) "That is all I have to do, for now at least." _Pathetic wench; you have no idea of the horrors that I am about to bring down upon your pretty little head. Before long you will know exactly how far the extent of my sorcery reaches, and while you stand there, contemplating your next move, so do I prepare to cast you into the shadows of the deepest night…_

_"_Enough sitting around! I'll place one card face down, and summon Gemini Elf in attack mode!" And so Kagome's first monster was called forth, a pair of fairy women who seemed to have come from the depths of _A Midsummer Night's Dream._ (1900/900) "But that's not all I'm going to do, for now I'll activate this Magic card, Riryoku, which allows me to cut your Makyura's total attack in half, and add that to the attack of my elf twins!" 

With eerily seductive yells, the pixies began to frolic happily about the maniacal executioner, who was unable to do anything but stand and slowly begin to twitch in wrath as the songs reached a greater pitch. But these dances were not just to annoy the warrior; they also served the purpose of distracting him as the force of Riryoku kicked in. (1050/800) (2950/900) "Now, Gemini Elf, destroy his Makyura!" Both vixens now drew out golden daggers that seemed to have been cast in the zenith of Greek culture, and were about to fall upon Makyura when it finally decided it had endured enough. Without warning, the mighty butcher leapt out of the attack range, and at the same time extended the twin claw blades that were attached to it's forearms. At this point, Makyura let fly a gruesome battle cry, that if translated would roughly be akin to "we shall drink blood tonight", and descended with brutal force onto the shoulders of both twins. And with one flick of the wrists, he swiftly pierced their throats and severed the jugular, causing large amounts of blood to splatter upon the armor. (2600/4000)

"So sorry, my dear, but while you were so busy calling out an attack I decided to activate the card I had face down last turn, the Reverse Trap card! When activated, it reverses the effect of statistic-altering cards, meaning that although my monster lost the power from Mystic Plasma Zone, it gained the power from your Riryoku card, and a similar effect befell your monster! You'll have to do better than that if you want to survive this duel."

"Fine. I'll place one more card face down, and that will end my turn."

"I'm afraid it is not that easy. Look up."

Now, in all seriousness, Kagome did not trust this demon and whatever plans he had in store for her were likely to be diabolical. But she also knew that if he could manipulate this realm, then there was a high chance he could kill her with it anyway, so she decided to comply.

What she saw would remained burned in her memory for years to come.

The monstrosity that now loomed above Kagome's head appeared to be a giant blob of slime that had several tentacles hanging from beneath it. Or so it seemed, for once she locked onto this behemoth it began to separate into two parts, and it was then that she realized that this hideous beast was no gelatinous mass; rather, that component of it seemed to be the Shadow ogre's jaws. And lining these jaws were rows of jagged, broken teeth in which hung a number of human and animal skeletons, a few of which were knocked back into the demon's throat with a jerk of it's black, rolling tongue. It also was revealed that the disgusting tendrils were in fact stalks that played host to about twenty eyes per tentacle.

Kagome could not breath, could not blink, and for a second or so her heart ceased to beat, so terrifying was this manifestation of the Shadow Realm.

"So you are beginning to understand the nightmare in which you have been trapped? As I expect you have determined, the loser of this match shall be consumed by the Guardian of the Netherworld, a fate that has only been reserved for the most dreadful of sinners. And on this day, you shall become the fodder for this horrific beast! But in the meantime, I shall draw, and activate the Pot of Greed Magic card, which allows me to draw two more cards. Next, I shall sacrifice my Makyura to summon the devil's magistrate, Helpoemer!"

Kneeling as it would before King Yama or any other divine monarch, the supreme eradicator was engulfed in a cloud of blood-red smoke which emitted one of the most powerful demonic auras that Kagome had ever been in the presence of. In fact, during the time that this fiendish monster was called upon, she could have sworn that a direct portal to Hell had been opened, which was one of many things she had experienced firsthand. And from this chasm into damnation crawled out an absolutely repulsive demon. It was about six feet in overall height, with skin that had an occult cerulean hue to it, no eyes, and at least five extra mouths that followed the main one in reciting a satanic prayer backwards. Yet this thing had little real muscle mass, which explained why it was bound to a rock fashioned like a tombstone. (2000/1400) And like all of the dark beasts that Yami no Marik possessed, this wicked being gained the field power bonus. (2500/1000) "For my next move, I activate the card I played face down, my Premature Burial Magic card, to resurrect Makyura the Executioner!" As the effect stated, Makyura crawled out of the depths, eye aglow with wrath as it prepared to strike the priestess incarnate down. (2100/800) "Now, my twin avatars of the darkness, attack Kagome's life points directly and end this duel!"

_"_I'm afraid that won't work! I activate the Trap card, Void! In exchange for half of my current life points, I can negate your attack and destroy all of your monsters on the field!" (1300/4000) Just as Makyura was about to soar into an attack position and Helpoemer prepared to launch a blast of infernal necromancy, both were absorbed into a glowing chasm of light that burned away their dark hearts.

"Most impressive, foolish girl. I shall end my turn by placing one card face down."

"I'll take my turn, thank you very much. And I'll start by summoning the monster known as Yutai, Judge of Law, in attack mode." For the first time in this entire duel, a monster of true sanctification had been called forth: an ethereal being that took on the shape of a man with sable hair, cobalt eyes, and a pale blue robe that was unable to contain the angelic wings that spread out behind it. (1900/2000) "Next, I'll activate the Equip Magic card, Cherub Wings, and I'll use it on my angelic judge!" As stated, the seraph gained another pair of wings, yet they were fluffy and weak-looking. "Now, Yutai, attack the demon's life points directly!" With his target lined up, Yutai drew out a mighty sword, similar to that used by St. George, and took to the skies.

"Not so fast, you worthless miko! I activate the card I had face down, Mirror Force, which shall destroy all of your attack mode monsters, and thus clear the field for a final attack!"

As usual, the gleaming reflection barrier appeared before Yami no Marik, with Yutai soaring forth, blade drawn out. But what he had not counted on was the pair of cherubic wings reacting to send a gust of holy wind directly at the magic. The end result was that the mirror crackled and broke, allowing Yutai to hack away at his life points and leave a burning gash to mark the spirit's black heart. (1300/2100)

"The exact same thing will happen if you try to use any mass-effect cards on any of the Divine Judges, and if you try targeting effects on those creatures, it will cost you 300 life points. Now that you know this, I'll activate the card I had face down, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards, and discard two. Next, I'll activate the Mercy of Tears card that I drew, allowing me to resurrect the Gemini Elf that you destroyed." A depressed angel now emerged on the field, seeming to have an infinite number of tears streaming down her face._ Kind of appropriate that it looks exactly like Kikyo. _After a few seconds of incessant sobbing, the angel floated back to whatever heaven it had arrived from, and from the tears emerged the twin elves. (1900/900) "That will end my turn, for the moment. Let's see if you can do anything useful." 

But something did not sit well with Kagome; for whatever reason, the beast did not seem overly worried, and in fact seemed almost giddy as he drew his next card.

"Oh, I think that the next few turns shall prove my competence. Believe me, young priestess, you have not yet begun to experience the powers of my deck, nor have you witnessed the hidden force that lies dormant, waiting to be unleashed onto this world. But for now, I think it would be an opportune time to summon one of my deadliest monsters._ Come forth, Revival Jam!"_

Hiei's Fortress

Hiei knew very little about the lives of the majority of his prisoners, and unless that information was beneficial to him in some respect, he made a point of ignoring it. In all honesty, the mind-numbing details of five hundred thousand dullards and the oblivious politicians that operated them proved to make for rather uninteresting archives, not to mention the ordeal of handling their affairs. So the best solution for his detainees was easily reached: just stuff them into the unhygienic dungeons of his many strongholds.

And execute a certain number when accommodation became an issue.

"Well, my lord, the current censuses from cell blocks A8, R74, and F23 have been collected and analyzed, as you requested, and we can safely determine that as of two weeks ago we went over our cutoff point. Any more prisoners and we'll have to begin construction again."

The demon monarch could have listened to his shifty prison warden rattle off the statistics, such as complaints from those schmaltzy human rights activists, but after the key numbers had been laid out on the table he zoned out, concentrating on the fluorescent lamps of his personal monorail as they slowly began to distort themselves. In the back of his mind, that number cruncher and his braying mixed themselves with the hum of the engine, and the beast felt himself move into a higher plane of thinking. He was strongly reminded of the stories his mother had forced down his throat as a child, about how you would just keep breathing the magic fairy dust until you saw every pretty color of the rainbow.

Hiei's eyelids began to fall, while his overall awareness of the world around him was further distorted. In the distance he could still hear that lackey, but it was as if he was falling away from him, as though the jaws of oblivion had opened up and now desired to swallow him forever, but he was not to enter this nightmare alone…

"MUKURO!"

The eyes flared open once again, face streaked with unholy tears of blood as Hiei reawakened from the land of dreams, a place that had, of late, been a living Hell for him. It was there alone that anything of his past still existed in full. It was in this state that he could see what he had become, what kind of a monster he really was, and he could not accept the harsh reality of the truth, that in the process of his attaining the mythical powers he now held claim to, he had sold his soul.

But like everything else he had lost, Hiei would merely shrug this nightmare off, and within the following minutes he would forget it had ever happened.

_Luckily none of my core lieutenants were present to witness that._

Now, Hiei may have been an egotistical son of a bitch, but he was not quite so insecure with himself as to hide his terror at the nightly demons that haunted his mind. No, it was just that each time he awoke from these gruesome explorations of his dark mind, there was an unswerving surge of power that emanated from him; the most severe occurrence was in Indonesia the night before his raid began, and the resulting shockwave had caused a massive volcanic eruption. 

Fortunately, the only thing this outpouring of darkness had done was turn that frustrating accountant inside out.

With a grim smile, he leaned back and watched the tram move along, flecking away the splashes of blood from his servant's "unfortunate accident", as he would call it officially. It had been a very long time since he had last been left to his own devices, and it was these spare times that kept him from going mad as he wallowed in a combination of misery and sadism._ They do not know, do they? The Pharaoh and his pathetic girlfriend think of me as a heartless bastard who cares about no one except for myself, and as accurate as that may be, neither of them have any knowledge of the woman I lost._

In fact, hardly anyone in the world knew about Mukuro, with the exception of the Reikai Tantei and of course Michael Seebach. To Hiei's interpretation, Dartz and Naraku would play upon that one breach in his emotional armor if they ever got wind of her and what she had meant to him… 

"We have arrived at Sector 0, Sublevel 49." And all thoughts of the official Demon God were driven out of his mind.

It now occurred to the sovereign of Makai that he should have ventilated the place with a bit more precision, for even as his transport pulled into the station the hateful reek of urine, sweat, and blood invaded his nostrils, and he was instantly brought back into his cold little reality. Far off in the distance could be heard the shrieks of those damned to Hell on Earth, struggling to keep from going mad as torment on top of torment was sent crashing into their minds and souls.

It was with barely restricted contempt that Hiei stepped into the bowels of his kingdom, the dungeons of the Devil's Citadel. Unlike the rest of his supreme position of control in the mortal realm, this particular area had none of the technological marvels that his minions had become accustomed to. No, he had specifically designated this part of the fortress to be left alone, save for some extremely intricate carvings along the passageway leading from the station.

They were present in these hewn images, every one of them. From the bitter and sadistic Naraku, to the cold and malevolent Dartz, to the apparently atheistic Kaiba, and even encompassing his own subordinates. And at the head of the corridor was the most important of all: the Pharaoh, collapsed face down in the mud with the demons of Makai gorging on his flesh, thousands of spears and arrows jutting out of his back.

It was a powerful image, one that Hiei himself had labored over. And it also served as the final defense of his most secretive knowledge.

He continued to walk forward as his pupils began to dilate in response to the consuming darkness of his security system. Demonic auras from all of the universe were appearing out of the walls, curling their devilish fingers just inches away from his Sennen Eye. Wretched souls from beyond time and space ran at him, beseeching of him salvation, and without a second thought he destroyed them all._ Damnation is just a part of life, you sniveling bitches._And as he stood before the image of his sworn enemy, the damned now cried out with unprecedented anguish, with a cohesive bellow that would shake the earth and crumble existence if let loose unto the world. Images flashed through Hiei's deepest level of conciousness: the jewel, the Orichalcos Seal, the Puzzle, and most of all, Mukuro.

"I CALL NOW FOR THE SILENCE OF THE MAKAI WORLD! GRANT ME ACCESS TO THE CHAMBER OF THE DEMON GOD, SO THAT I MAY PERUSE THE BLACK SECRETS OF THE ANCIENT WAYS!"

This particular part of the hall had always been tremendously strenuous for all of the Black Shadow, and proved to be a test of power for aspiring members; those of insufficient Spirit, Shadow, or Demon energy would be instantly swallowed up by the chasms of the Spirit World that opened up around them. And even if they could survive for the first few minutes, they would have to command the respect of the apparitions that dwelt here, a feat that was beyond the stamina of just about anyone that tried to penetrate this most blasphemous of sanctums.

After the first time Yami no Bakura had passed the test, he developed the notion that sheer power and respect was not enough to pass the gauntlet; it was his belief that fate dictated who would surpass it. Hiei, of course, took little stock in that hypothesis initially, but later on he would start to wonder about it. Right now, though, he had little time to think about what determined the mechanics of his own security setup. There was work to be done, and a certain mind to manipulate.

After several minutes, the gate acknowledged Hiei's presence, the representation of which was the Pharaoh's image being replaced by the crest of the Black Shadow Organization. It was a simple heraldic sign, made up of a representation of the infamous Dragon of the Darkness Flame devouring itself, forming a circle around the images of the Sennen Eye and Shikon no Tama shards. These images, in turn, began to radiate a powerful demonic aura in response to their creator's arrival, and withdrew into the heavy stone once more.

What happened next was never actually researched, and despite the massive archives of Spirit World and the brilliant minds of the Shadow Realm, no one could ever determine where to begin. All that was truly understood about that type of necromancy was that it had been used only one other time, to contain the Demon World Archives.

The stone seemed to disappear, as though it had been an optical illusion the entire time.

With a nefarious smirk, Hiei now stepped past the threshold and into his personal haven and away from the darkness, barely noticing that the heavy slab rematerialized behind him. "Enough. You may reveal yourself; I don't expect any other visitors."

Hiei was not crazy or stupid enough to speak to rock walls, regardless of any other psychoses he might have had obscured in the dark corners of his consciousness. No, he was referring to the other entity that was present in the room with him. Yet bizarrely enough, there were no visible others that were in the sanctum, just himself and the seven bodyguards that stood at the entrance.

But much as in life, the situation was not as it appeared to be. For without warning a shadow separated itself from the others and drew itself along the ground, unceasing in it's erratic path, seeming to be hunting something out as it snuck about. This continued for an aggravating amount of time, until the entity finally ceased it's wanderings in front of it's master…

…and spoke.

"Welcome, Master Jagenshi. I assume everything went as planned in my absence?"

"Very much so. The Pharaoh has been drawn into my intricate web of exploitation and deceit, as have our other enemies, so you have now entered your element. What skills will be of use is of no concern; all that matters is that you do not blunder. Incidentally, did you bring Sesshomaru to the communication unit, as I requested?"

"Yes. And the girl is in your chief conference room."

"Excellent. Now, rise; I want the dog demon to see exactly what he is dealing with."

In response to Hiei's command, the patch of shade began to ripple and undulate, slowly forming the structure of an imposingly tall humanoid. Once the basic shape had been taken, the silhouette receded back into the hallway, crawling off of Hiei's ultimate bodyguard, a powerful-looking creature in a blue and black ninja outfit that seemed to have origins in the earliest traditions of the Japanese assassins. The only thing that could be seen of his face behind the mask was a pair of red eyes. On his back was a quiver loaded down with thirty-three serrated daggers, while hanging loosely in his right hand was a spiked war mace; several inches from this hand was attached a Duel Gauntlet, but it's white color could not be seen in the darkness.

"It has been quite a while since you and I last met, Akuren. But I have little time for niceties, so let's get down to business."

There was no conversation between Akuren and his soverign as they walked down the closest of the hundreds of passages that lined the main corridor. A heavy odor of cigars and bourbon instantly washed over the two, but it was of little concern. They had both been in the proverbial trenches before, fighting off human and demon invaders in an attempt to either save or destroy their worlds. To these hardened veterans, brutality and the sensations that accompanied them were not shocking to them, and to have a baby strangled in front of their eyes would have no effect. So a stench of self-indulgence mattered little to them.

After about thirty seconds they had entered the conference room, a relatively simple affair. All it was was a large, black iron table with ten leather swivel chairs on each side and one at both ends, and at one end of the room was a large pull-down screen for presentations and charting. And despite the fact that every member of the board had an affinity for the drink, there was no bar of any kind, for a specific bottle of each member's personal preference was given to them before each meeting.

"Computer, you may initiate the communication. Commence satellite link, sector 369, with quadruple-wavelength communication module number 70."

_It will not be long now; I can sense it. Hiei's decisions are becoming increasingly erratic, and he 's already showing signs of extreme fatigue. He's losing his grip on reality, one of the first signs of the Possession…_

_"_I have not yet lost my grasp on the world, Akuren, and rest assured that the beast in my mind will not overtake my spirit. If it does manifest itself significantly, my operatives will deal with it." 

"I can only hope so, milord." _For now, at least…_

But his thoughts, and Hiei's investigation of them, were both cut short by the sudden appearance of static on the screen, followed immediately thereafter by the increasingly troubled contenance of the demon Sesshomaru.

"This had better be important, Hiei. My entire schedule does not revolve around yours." Something in his voice was aggravated, and even without the Eye the demon could instantly tell that the duel had not gone well at all.

"Well, it may very well have to, judging from your abysmal performance. Already two of your generals have been bested, and your outlook is not positive."

What little change occurred in the demon's face was kept very well concealed, yet Akuren knew better. He knew that Sesshomaru was already getting exasperated from having to deal with Hiei on a regular basis like this, and this fact was proved again when the grinding of prosthetic gears made itself known. From the sound, it was obvious that his control over the artificial arm was not quite as proficient as he had claimed. Still, one had to admire his composed persona in such a high pressure situation.

Then again, no one, human or otherwise, is infallible.

"I am afraid your perception is misguided. When last I checked, my generals were consigned by you to handle the surplus peons. If anything, you are to blame for my soldier's failure."

It took a lot to piss Hiei off. And Sesshomaru had trod on that line.

"Look, Hiei, I have been dealing with a lot of nonsense as of late, and I grow weary of your random little odd jobs, so this is what is going to happen. I'll continue to duel in your place until you have the spine to face your opposition again, and then you will elect me as a permanent board member of the Black Shadow Organization, along with our previous arrangement. No questions asked, no loopholes, no bullshit. Do we understand each other?"

There are three things that a person can do that will guarantee death: poke a bear in the eye, cut yourself in shark-infested waters, and irritate a psychotic powerhouse of a demon with a god complex. Especially when that demon has leverage on you.

"Hn. You make a convincing argument, dog demon. One that will remain with me in the mountains, in the trees, in the forests, and in my dreams." The last part was recited in a high-pitched squeak that Akuren could only assume was supposed to be feminine. "My next question is equally simple: Lord Sesshomaru, where are you?" And from the demented look in Hiei's eyes, Akuren could easily determine that something was afoot. "Please return to me, all alone."

Silence from the dog, for the first time, and also an emotion that was unseen before by either of them. A simplistic emotion, one that he believed himself superior to.

There was fear in his eyes.

"Where did you hear that, you bastard?"

Hiei, in his normal fashion, did not answer directly. "To be fair, I was amazed that such an astoundingly sappy melody could be composed by a girl who has lost so much. An orphan, captured by not one, but two demon lords, and now lives at my mercy. Akuren, if you would be so kind as to show our young guest into the meeting…"

Akuren, in his turn, made a slight motion to a shadow that inexplicably was sitting on one of the chairs. "I have always had something of a guilty pleasure, Sesshomaru, something that I do for fun whenever I get the chance. No matter what I'm doing, no matter who I'm slaying, I will always leave time for manipulating the psyches of those around me. And the first thing I like to do is strike the young of those people. This was, of course, the closest thing I had to your young, given your attitude towards women."

The shade opened up, and if the screen could talk, it would definitely say that Sesshomaru's pulse came to be nonexistent.

What now remained was a young girl, about eight or nine years old, chocolate eyes wide open in horror and twitching beneath the heavy blindfold that blinded and deafened her. The only deviance of her lengthy black hair was a minute topknot on the side of her head. Hers was a face of strange innocence, one that saw the world and yet remained sweet and kind.

"Cute as a button, am I correct?"

"Rin…"

"Correct, you moronic son of a bitch. She's in my control now, and unless you want me to gut her as I would a common fish, you will listen to what I have to say."

It was somewhat otherworldly to watch the once emotionally deprived and nonchalant demon become a violent and depraved kidnapper, but it had been obvious from the very beginning that Hiei did not place much stock in his own honor doctrine, so the shock was cushioned to some extent._ And besides, it should have been apparent to everyone that he came across. Urameshi, especially, should have seen the darkness festering deep within his purported friend's mind._

But they had not been in possession of such lucidity. And now they would all pay for it with their lives. 

"By all means, kill her if you want; to be honest I'm not particularly frightened. Besides, you're not proving anything by murdering a little girl."

"You misunderstood me. I am not doing this to prove a point, and I have no intention of calling your pathetic little bluff. Without her I have no leverage on you, meaning that my threats would then have no credibility. No, I have something much more interesting in mind."

A simple flick of the wrist, motioning towards Akuren's quiver. To the untrained eye, this is an innocent enough motion, but Sesshomaru knew the mindset of Hiei all too well, and he knew what was about to happen.

"Hiei, perhaps I was a bit hasty. I will happily retract my demands, so long as you release the young one. She has done nothing to you, and if you surrender her to my jurisdiction it shall remain that way." In his eyes, in his voice, and in his most basic of body language, there was a subtle degree of patriarchal alarm that Akuren could not believe existed. It was as though this pathetic, otherwise purposeless wretch meant all of the world to this creature.

Sesshomaru, the demonic incarnation of brutality and misanthropy, was afraid for the life of a human girl.

"I'm afraid it's too little, too late. Although I shall gladly accept your retraction, it seems fitting for you to be…disciplined." With an air of lunacy, Hiei sauntered over to the seat that held Rin, and extracted two long, serrated daggers. His eyes grew feverish with bloodlust as he drew one of the blades across his cheek, allowing the process of convection to warm up the black metal. Masochistic or not, it was becoming extremely uncomfortable for either witnesses to continue watching as he slowly dragged the knife down his face, letting it run the length of his scar…

…before he lifted it high above his head and crushed the dagger into the back of Rin's hand, effectively nailing it to the seat. From the gruesome wound now gushed a substantial amount of blood, which increased as Hiei dug deeper into the flesh and bone.

If you can't figure out why the girl reacted with a screech that could be heard in the highest stratas of the base, then you should probably pay closer attention.

It was quite unlike anything that any of the three had ever witnessed. They were all used to an enemy, or at least a prisoner, reacting with some percentage of dignity when placed under torture; this was not the case with Rin, who was shrieking and crying like a baby as she tried to pull the knife out. Then again, she was only a child, thus making Hiei's next action…well, let's just say it was a bit out of line.

"SHUT UP!" And with one back-handed smack across the face, she obeyed the command.

This did not happen to suit Sesshomaru's liking.

"HIEI! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU! SHE IS JUST A CHILD!"

"I am perfectly fine, and as you recall, I have done things that are much worse, to people of all walks of life. But more to the point…"

"You enjoyed it. You had_ fun. _Tell me, exactly what kind of a warped and twisted individual am I working for?" But all it took was a quick glance at Hiei's eyes to tell him that it was not a topic he wanted to unravel. "Never mind."

"Good; now, this is basically what I had in mind. From this point onward, I will up the ante for both sides of the equation, and yes, I am aware that I warned you against this at first. Now, you will continue to utilize your three remaining generals until they have served their purpose or are eliminated. And as you requested, your victory will give you a permanent chair in the Black Shadow. If you fail, I will not kill you. I'll vent my rage in a quite healthy manner, by ripping Rin's throat out with my bare hands."

There was silence on both sides, until Sesshomaru decided to speak.

"You are indeed a perverted individual. Regardless, I grudgingly accept your terms."

"Brilliant."

"However, I must be guaranteed that Rin will still be alive when I reach the finals. I want proof of life every step of the way."

"Deal. All the arrangements will be handled post haste." And with that, the screen, and the meeting, came to a close.

Outside the Museum

_You're a dead man, Raphael._

Not exactly the first thoughts that spring into the front of any customary person's mind after unconsciousness, but, when closely examining the circumstances of the attack and how violent it turned out to be, not even the most consummate of psychoanalysts could deny that such ideas were perfectly natural. 

The sun was blazing behind Inuyasha's eyes as he struggled to lift himself up from the rubble and debris of Raphael's assault, which was no mean feat considering that the blast had struck him head on. And for the very first time in almost a year and a half, he felt the slow, excruciating presence of death bearing down on him

_It just doesn't add up. If Raphael could summon that kind of magic, it should have represented itself as an aura or something like that. Even Shadow and Spirit powers usually manifest themselves in one way or another, but the Orichalcos is in a class of it's own…_

Flashback) 

"And now, Stone of Orichalcos... SHOW THE HALF-BREED SOME REAL POWER!"

Whatever "real power" this lunatic was referring to did not seem all that intimidating at first. The so-called magic seemed only to make the piece of jewelry glow slightly, and that alone was taxing its overall potency.

"Is this your power, making a light show for my entertainment? Let me tell you something about how combat works in the real world: here, I kick your sorry art house ass!"

Eyes gleaming with their usual bloodlust, Inuyasha latched onto the warm handle of his Tetsuaiga and removed the ancient blade from within the sheath, but this time brought the sheath in front of him._ Knowing the way this bastard thinks, he'll probably have a few sharpshooters around, so I may as well prepare._

Still, thought the demon, if his new enemy was this confident in his capabilities, then he had obviously never seen the power of his loathed father in action. And it was high time to put this wretch in his place by showing him that power.

A breeze stirred, blowing some random sand into the air. And for that moment, Raphael and Inuyasha locked eyes. They both knew that there was no turning back now, and neither one wanted to.

"DIE!"

In all of the madness, Tea had stepped to one side, almost completely forgotten as the two outcasts prepared to strike each other down. She could not possibly hope that Inuyasha would survive at this point; sure, he had escaped Naraku, Sesshomaru, and even the wrath of his former lover, but this…this was something else. For in his past battles, the Windscar had been capable of besting the fury of the demons.

It could not best the power of the gods.

"INUYASHA, STOP! THIS IS SUICIDE!"

Her eyes watered as she ran to him, screams ignored or unheard as the attacks were placed. If this battle went on, as she knew it would, then there was no doubt in her mind that one or both of them would die.

Still, one had to give Inuyasha credit for trying.

As was the usual medium for his basic ultimate move, the dog demon slammed the blade of his sword into the ground, the resulting motion waves triggering its magic and hurling a shockwave of demonic power at Raphael.

But seconds before he had laid his attack, something extremely out of the ordinary took place, for as he drew out the sword it began to glow a bloody crimson that permeated the blade's surface. Simple enough, right? Not when you know the hell he went through to get the coloring.

It was all in all beautiful, in a primeval sort of way, and Raphael had to admit that such power from a pathetic mutt was even more impressive. But admiration notwithstanding, having an extraordinary attack does not guarantee victory.

Dartz had said the exact same thing to him and Sensui.

Now, in his battles as a DOOM Soldier, Raphael had been required to study the nature of demonic auras and how they affected the tide of war, and in his analyses he had come to a solid conclusion about barrier-breaking energies: they had no effect on the Orichalcos. But it had no relevance, in actuality.

He knew that the Windscar would not even clear the museum steps.

"Excellent attack, hanyou, but I'm sorry to say that it will not have any affect on me! Orichalcos Shockwave!"

For a brief instant, Raphael's entire body became engulfed in a bright green aura similar to that of the Orichalcos Stone around his neck before it refocused itself into the rock fragment. And it was then that Inuyasha knew exactly what was going on.

The aura that was focused in his hand was almost five times as powerful, if not more so, than Inuyasha's Backlash Wave.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO YOUR BITCH, DOG DEMON! BUT INSTEAD, YOU ALLOWED YOUR PERSONAL DARKNESS TO CONTROL YOU, AND I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR IT!"

As he had believed, the blast from Inuyasha's sword was instantaneously engulfed in the power of the Orichalcos stone, and soon the blast spread, taking in just about everything…

…before collapsing in on itself and detonating.

(End Flashback)

Try as he might, Inuyasha could not remember exactly what had happened after the shockwave commenced, nor did he really want to. Still, the vast devastation that the attack had resulted in was evidence enough of this man's sheer might, and something in the back of his mind told him that it originated in Raphael's dueling deck.

If it was indeed a card that gave that lunatic such divine wrath, then Inuyasha needed to get his hands on it. Combined with the Tetsuaiga, it could hypothetically eliminate Hiei or anybody else that stood against him.

_Get ready, Raphael. Once I'm done with you, I'll rip that card out of your cold, dead fingers…_

After all, pondered the dog demon, how skilled of a duelist could he possibly be? 

Finally staggering to his feet, Inuyasha drew out the deck of cards that had served him so very well, and would allow him to control the power of Orichalcos. Looking at each individual card, for reasons that he never truly understood, reminded him to some extent of exactly why he was fighting this battle, why he had endured so much at the hands of Hiei and his minions. It was not exactly a concrete cause, but as he thought about it, every such motive of his had been steeped in greed and sin.

But as he sheathed the great blade that was his inheritance, the condition of Tea sprang immediately to the forefront of his thoughts. For this reason, he immediately bolted over to his new lady friend.

Luckily, she was alive; the circumstances had been arranged so that Inuyasha took the brunt of the attack. Still, it was not in her best interests to be left alone in this city, so he draped her limp body over his shoulder. Of course, he now understood that the seach for his impromptu rival would be severely hindered by having to carry somebody with him, but it wasn't like he hadn't dealt with such a problem before.

It made him think back, back to the good year in his despondent little existence, and for the very first time, it occurred to him that he was no longer Kagome's true love. He was reminded of exactly how much she had meant to him in those times, and now he hardly ever thought about her being with the Pharaoh.

_If you're happy, then I have no right to try and ruin that._

But now was not the time to think about it. What he needed to do was track down the bastard that had been tenacious enough to attack him, and in this godforsaken city it would be almost impossible. With all of the smells and reeks of New Paradigm, his nose was as good as useless, and unlike demonic auras, he could not hope to sense Raphael's powers. The only real course of action was to find him the old-fashioned way. 

There was a profound sense of vertigo as Inuyasha leapt into the skies and landed back onto the concrete, a chain of motions that repeated itself again and again as he bounded across the only acknowledged city in the sky, and along with this sensation was an indefinable high as his demonic powers were put to use. It had been so long since that part of him had actually seen any utilization, but it made no difference in all-around performance.

Bearing in mind that returning to the skies was not his purpose on that day proved to be more difficult, and what he noticed over the next few minutes detracted from his overall concentration.

Weird. Normally these humans would be yelling at the top of their lungs when someone like me comes running through the city. But they don't seem to care…

It was worse than his perception implied; they not only didn't care, it looked like these morons were completely unaware that he was leaping around their city like some kind of dog-eared madman. And it would be no exaggeration to say that if he jumped on their heads they would not notice.

The people of New Paradigm were not blind or brainless. They were simply so focused on maintaining their standard of Eden that they perceived little else but that desire.

_Ok, this is getting a little too creepy for my taste. I'm getting the hell out of here._Inuyasha made a rather special point of speeding up as he continued his rather bizarre journey across New Paradigm, but in the process there was a strange feeling of exhaustion as he soon came to realize that he was tired from this little escapade. He'd have to check the calendar later on, but in the meantime he needed to rest. And for his current situation, the best option was the cargo truck nearest him.

Boredom, exhaustion, and carrying a beautiful woman around some hovering metropolis was not exactly a well thought out combination. So with eyes barely open, the demon laid himself to rest, bringing Tea close to him so that her warm body could keep him alert. It had been strenuous enough today, and the last thing he needed was to be captured.

Comfort was hardly to be found on the back of a truck, so staying conscious was not an issue. If anything, he was embracing her for the sake of embracing her, and by the time he was sentient of what had happened, Inuyasha's hand was now dangerously close to Tea's waistline.

_HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!_

He could not believe it, but somehow his subconscious mind was shorted out enough so that he was moving in on the girl without knowing it. Miroku couldn't have done worse.

But could he really blame himself for it? Here he was, with one of the world's most incredible treasures of sensuality and grace, and it wasn't like she didn't have the same feelings…

Whether you perceive his next interruption of primal thought a blessing or a curse is entirely up to you.

A slight crunch of gravel, about seven feet to his right, one that was growing louder as time passed. It was a heavy tread, from the sound of it, and also one that was moving slowly. For about seven seconds, the striding came to a close, and some harsh whispers came to Inuyasha's ears.

It was a voice he instantly recognized.

"NOW, VARON!"

The truck's engine roared into life, as another man began laughing maniacally, and within seconds the truck was moving forward. There was nothing left to do, save finish what he'd started. He knew that he was in no position to do anything except face the darkness, which was something he had needed to do from the start. And to him, this duel was not an ordinary one; it was symbolic of his own self-conquest, his defeat of the monster that lived inside his heart.

In the land of forgotten lives, on the stage of eternity, they would all find themselves. And Inuyasha was about to perform that…if he won.

"Why don't you show yourself, Raphael!"

There was a slight noise of screeching metal, lost for the wind of the truck's velocity, and from the makeshift sunroof emerged the legendary duelist.

"Well, dog demon, I had a feeling you would be here."

"Cut the crap! You know as well as I that this was a setup! And let me make one thing very clear: whatever card is giving you that power, I'll be sure to take it! So if you're ready, it's time to end this!"

"Exactly what I want to hear. Let's put that soul of yours to good use!"

Both duelists placed their decks into the gauntlet, but the experience was different for one of them.

_I failed you once, Eatotsu, and I promise that will not happen again. If destroying this pathetic hound is what it shall take to bring peace to you and this world, then so be it._

Raphael closed his eyes, allowing the wind to curl around him and his cards, and for a moment, he could feel an angel standing next to him. (4000/4000)

Roger's Penthouse

_Paradigm City, a place of amnesia, a land of the forgotten, has been replaced by New Paradigm, a paradise spawned by the intentions of an utter madman, yet a paradise still. So if this is the case, then why is New Paradigm once again plagued by the trials and tribulations of old Paradigm? Why are we still beneath the shadow of Rosewater's dementia? And why are the memories of old once again becoming a battle ground?_

The questions were returning, and for a split second Roger thought that with them would rematerialize another memory fragment, as was usual in times of extreme tension and apprehensiveness. But luckily for his sanity, such a recurring nightmare did not exhibit itself. 

There was, however, a distinct odor of burning rubber that permeated the ventilation, mixing with thick dust resulted from the vaporization of the marble, and it was pungent enough to bring him a hypnotic sense of dizzyness. It was not dissimilar to the sensation he had experienced whilst descending into the underbelly of Paradigm to fight Schwarzvald and his archetypal megadeus, and he prayed to God that he wouldn't have to face either a second time.

But he knew that someone from the old days was lurking, somebody who still had it out for him; after all, why else would he or she launch a strike against some random hotel in this peaceful place? And if it was somebody whom he'd faced before, they would obviously hate him enough to make such a blaring attempt that would attract the attention of thousands.

The thought came to him within an instant. Only one other in his life could be this egotistical and boastful, and he was not linked to Hiei and his form of devil worship as far as he knew.

_You son of a bitch. I don't know how you walked out of Paradigm alive, but I'll be sure to finish what Seebach started._

Now, how exactly did he intend to confront Roger? To be honest, the lunatic never seemed to be the type that dueled, but then again, it was almost impossible to predict any of his actions, and times had changed since the fall of the Domes.

There was simply one thing to do: confront Alex Rosewater's final soldier, his last emissary, and wipe away the tyrannic regime of the old ways forever.

In his jacket was the familiar bulge of his dueling deck. On his hand was the familiar watch. And in his eyes was the familiar fire that had burned away the deific Big Fau.

"Norman! What the hell is going on down there!"

No answer, and for only an instant a brief premonition flared up in his head, a very acute sense of foreboding that he had felt when he had first encountered Red Destiny. Something was wrong, and there was reason to believe that they were all in danger, especially Angel.

Then again, there was another problem with the situation, and that was the fact of this "new" enemy's rather widespread capabilities, a fact that was swiftly returned to mind when a robotic hand burst through the nearest window, instantaneously flooding the room with the waning glow of the afternoon sun, whereupon said appendage clamped onto the respective sill. 

It was not the first time the technique had been used on him, or rather, to escape from him. And it was somewhat ironic that in spite the terror this thing was supposed to rouse in the hearts of his victims, it still looked as though it belonged in some cheap sci-fi movie, as did the rest of the sociopath.

The sound of a cable retraction, part two of his psychological ensemble, and one that served sort of a death rattle function. With the horrific noise Roger was hurled backwards in time, and hundreds, if not thousands, of images played themselves over and over in the decrepit recesses of his mind, swift yet traumatic visions of the time he had spent in the City of Forgetfulness. Every nerve shrieked in agony as the times he had underwent cast themselves upon him.

He had never felt like this at any point in his voluntarily inflicted banishment. While it was not exactly an alien sentiment, his self-torment had never been at this level of intensity, and he was reminded in a substantial way of exactly how long and horrific his journey had been.

The Tomatoes, artificial children designed as databanks for the lost memories. The scenes of the Bigs, most dominant of the Machine Gods, ransacking pre-Event Paradigm. The Leviathan, a modern spin on an ancient god, gone horribly awry when it turned upon it's creator. Red Destiny and her personal holy war against those that held the memories. _Metropolis_, the writings of Gordon Rosewater that transcended the normal written word and supposedly held the secrets of the Event. The trio of "foreign" megadeii summoned by Rosewater. Fleeting images of Paradigm before the Event. And at the end, with the sharpest clarity and focus, the one image that was not a direct component of his past: an aggravatingly pompous Schwarzvald, eyes alit with untapped arrogance as he stood tiptoe upon the Duel Fortress which his supreme leader had designed, barely above the fires that had swallowed up all of New Paradigm, making it unrecognizable. Upon his bandaged forehead was the peculiar mark that Roger associated with the Sennen Items, and in his hands was an open book, what looked like the familiar _Metropolis_.However, this tome was different in two manners. The title was now _Exodus_, and it's author was listed…as Michael Seebach.

_No. Is this another memory fragment, or…a vision?_

Roger did not immediately notice that Schwarzvald was talking; the mere situation had sort of dazzled him into shock. But the conspiracy-obsessed writer was indeed reciting some line from his book, as the shifting eyes indicated. 

"Truth. It is the thin, fibrous yarn that binds us, as humans, to the events of a past era. Even in the darkest of years, humanity has struggled to find this common thread, in an attempt to hold steadfast to the values we hold so close to our hearts. And yet, when we finally discover this "common reality", it is finally revealed to us that, despite the horrific events that divert our gaze, there will always be more than one unifying truth…" The eyes averted from his book, and locked with those of the negotiator. "Why can you not see this, Paradigm lap dog? Are you so obsessed with your pretty little castles in the sky that you shall strip your eyes out, as Oedipus had done? Or can you simply not grasp the magnitude of what you behold beneath the foundation of your artless life? You must expand your mind, by illicit means, if you must, but eventually you must SEE! Only then will the corrupt shackles be unshod, and your mind and spirit be exposed to the Truth of Paradigm that must be known. REVEAL TO THE WORLD THE LIGHT OF TRUTH! AWAKEN FROM YOUR SLUMBER OF IGNORANCE SO THAT THE PEOPLE WILL KNOW OF THE WORLD BEYOND THE DOMES AND SKIES! YOU MUST WAKE TO UNRAVEL THE MYSTERIES OF 47 YEARS AGO, TO BRING A GOLDEN AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE PEOPLE WHOM YOU CLAIM TO DEFEND! YOU MUST WAKE!"

The psychopath's rantings would have, under any other chain of events, forced Roger into a violent rage. But not today, not in this year, in this city. For the first time in his life, he could look that demon in the eye…and blink.

"I hope you realize the hypocrisy of what you're saying, Schwarzvald. You say that I am nothing but a slave to my own ignorance, and yet here you are, serving the whims of a deranged misanthropist with a chronic god complex. And while you delude yourself into believing your own unreliable ramblings, Hiei is keeping the truth from you. So it is you who must awaken and see reality, the reality that the people are no longer controlled by amnesia, and that we are not gods simply because we control the power of God!"

And Roger's own eyes opened, as he came to discover what he had known to be true from the start.

Schwarzvald said nothing, struck dumb by the negotiator's harsh words, and the fires began to die away. Soon enough the rest of the scene fell, and Roger with it.

He opened his eyes to reality, and smiled grimly as he realized he was staring down the barrel of a golden magnum. His attention refocused onto the man who held it, a willowy yet oddly powerful man with pure white pseudo-flesh that might once have been real. This cyborg was clad in a pinstriped suit, coattails and all, with a black hat to fit the ensemble, and one of his hands was cybernetic in nature. And for whatever reason, Roger's eyes focused on the sharply white Duel Gauntlet he wore.

Upon the new madman's face appeared a warped little smile. And Roger instantaneously knew that this was the Messenger of Rosewater.

Somehow, this cyborg, the notorious Alan Gabriel, had been reborn unto the world once again.

Aftermath of Yami vs. Kachikachi

_It's strange how my final defeat is largely as I imagined it._

Ever since the Pharaoh had laid eyes on the Seal of Orichalcos, he had known that in some way or other it would ultimately alter the course of his life forever. He was not entirely certain exactly how significant an effect it would have, but he was always subconsciously aware of it's ramifications on his life even after he had first routed the Seal. 

And now he knew what purpose the dark crest served in the grand scheme of things.

All about him the Seal was continuing to fall apart, each hairline fracture spreading to another part of the barrier it produced. Short bursts of the Orichalcos magic intermittently burst out of the medium in which it presented itself, increasing the luminosity that stemmed from Kachikachi's escape. Already the Shadow Realm was receded in reaction to this abrupt emanation of nearly omnipotent force. And with it vanished any hopes of the Pharaoh's survival.

_I'm sorry, Kagome, for everything I've done to you. It still hurts, losing you, but at least I'm getting some retribution for what I did. Maybe, in some final twisted irony, this is how it was supposed to work out in the end, but you did allow me to comprehend one thing in this world: the fact that angels do exist._

The swordsman was hurtling closer towards him, seeming to ride on the flames of his maniacal glory, and in the horrific incandescence of the fractured Seal of Orichalcos he looked akin to the devil himself, the fires of the Mugen-Dai burning away the sanctity of the heavens. And in his wake was an overpowering shadow that would soon claim his soul. 

Kachikachi was yelling something as he charged, but despite being able to understand him, Yami could not really determine what he was saying, as though he was lost in some wonderful trance. The floor seemed to become a mere speck of dust as a sudden sense of distance and altitude swept over the Pharaoh, and with this came an impression of weariness.

Something clicked in the back of his head.

_I'll see you beyond the Gates, my love…_

He closed his amethyst eyes, and allowed the light to wash over his soul. At long last, it was all over. After five thousand years, it was time to return.

"Your time will come, Atem, but that time is not today!"

The voice registered in his ears, and the eyes opened once more.

There was no light anymore, just the wood-paneled ballroom with the various scars of the shattered Seal. And of course Kikyo, standing right in the path of the samurai.

"You still have a lot of good to do in this world. My life is just some random anamoly returned to this world by a demon, so it won't matter if I live or die. Pharaoh, if you die, then Hiei will emerge victorious, and I'll gladly go back to Hell before I let that happen!"

"Kikyo, don't do this. Kachikachi is my problem, and I'll be the one to end it."

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to live like this anymore. I'm sick and tired of wandering this cruel world, watching the innocent suffer and the wicked ascend to glory. But if I die saving the world's protector, I can die knowing my life meant something. Please, let me do this."

She turned towards him, chestnut eyes rimmed with the tears of eternal suffering.

"Please…"

Yami looked into those eyes, and at that moment, he could deny the priestess nothing.

Kachikachi watched with great disdain, the superciliousness in his face now glaring.

"It does not matter, miko. I SHALL SEND YOU BOTH TO HELL!"

The blade rose. Kikyo smiled, seeming to find a semblance of contentment. Yami drew a card from the Duel Gauntlet graveyard.

For only a second, the burning katana held above, the fires of the Orichalcos flickering around it, taking dominance over the chandelier's soft glow. The magic card was drawn forth, the Shadow Magic pulsing through it's infinite depths.

The angle of the sword was altered, and with a horrific laugh, Kachikachi swung it at a diagonal. The card began to shine. A great magical intensity became apparent.

And finally, the sword came to the ground, in it's vacuum a torrent of human blood. Kikyo gave out a screech as the Orichalcos fire rent her flesh and cast out the souls she had contained within her and allowed her to exist; in her heart she was glad it hurt, for she now knew her own humanity.

And the Pharaoh had done what needed to be done.

"Now I summon…TIMAEUS!"

It was a brilliantly crafted tactic, one that had never been used before because it was nearly impossible to synchronize. But now it had been done, at the price of a wonderful and beautiful godsend, but it had been done. And even as the Great Dragon was reborn from it's card prison, Yami felt a strange sort of pride as he prepared to close a particularly gruesome chapter of his life. He did not truly recognize whether he would emerge as triumphant in his other battles, but he could take comfort in overcoming one of his greatest rivals. 

"I see, Pharaoh. Whilst Kikyo took the brunt of my attack, you were calling your Legendary Dragon. Sadly, it seems that her sacrifice was in vain."

"We shall see about that. TIMAEUS, DESTROY HIM!"

There was a profound silence as Timaeus unlocked it's immense maw, as if all of creation was carefully scrutinizing the battle and had to pay attention at all cost. To a degree this was factual; if it was not the battle for Earth, at least it was one of the skirmishes.

_Kikyo, this is for you._

With a mighty bellow, the dragon let soar a cannon blast of unbridled energy, as an unspoken tribute to all those who had lost themselves to the Seal of Orichalcos, and as a beacon for them to return to light. But this symbolism was not meant for those who had willfully bowed to that dark power, who had embraced it with open arms and allowed it to become their essence. For Yami, the attack had a double meaning, as he was once again cast back into thinking of the time he had utilized the Seal. 

The flames of Atlantis were reflected in the Mugen-Dai and Kachikachi's eyes, and for a brief instant, both flickered. This was soon lost in the grand blaze as the explosion of divine strength devoured him.

_I am not finished yet, Pharaoh. We will battle again, and when that day comes, your life is forfeit…_

And without any great parting fanfare, the samurai was wiped away.

As pleased as he was with the end of the Yami no Kenkaku and the trouncing of the Seal, Yami had much greater problems to contend with at that point. He could not bear knowing that his life was now at the cost of anothers, and perhaps that life could be spared. 

He did not hear his own cracked breathing and sloppy footsteps as he ran to Kikyo's limp form, so fixated was he on the jewel guardian's health. It was all his fault, from his own perspective; he never should have let her take that proverbial bullet for him, and given the deep spiritual connection the two shared he would not let her die.

With a sort of brotherly tenderness, the Pharaoh drew the priestess into his arms, uncaring of the thick, viscous blood that was oozing all over him and staining his flesh with dark sin. 

"Kikyo, please, wake up…"

She did not stir, but there was a distinct sound of indrawn breath, shuddery, but present nonetheless.

Now, Yami had an extremely proficient grasp on his emotions, and it was all he could do to prevent himself from breaking into tears. He tried again, this time gently shaking the body.

And this time, she returned to conciousness.

"Atem, what are you doing here?"

"What? I'm here to save your life."

It might have been the fires of the Orichalcos, but Yami could see a pronounced darkening in her eyes.

"No. No, this isn't how it works. You shouldn't be here; I have no intention of surviving, and you shouldn't try to prolong my life."

He could not believe it. Never had anybody in his life wanted to die when they could be returned from the torments of oblivion.

"Kikyo, I don't want it to end like this. You saved my life, so it's only right that I save yours."

The eyes darkened again, this time in wrath.

"You don't get it, do you? I didn't just take that attack to save your life; I needed to save you from me. If I'm alive, Kagome won't be able to trust you…" She choked, and spewed more blood into Yami's face. It stung his eyes, as this new information stung his soul.

"I saw the way she looked at you when she found out. While I have seen it before, it was more evident when she saw me with you. And in all of my years, I never saw a heart break with that severity before." Her body was becoming increasingly chilled, and her eyes began to glaze over. "Pharaoh, Kagome loves you. She loves you more than Inuyasha, more than her parents, her friends, and she needs you as much as you need her."

"I know. It nearly killed me when I thought she would despise me for the rest of her life. But from what I understand, you never cared before, so why did you do this?"

Her eyes slid downwards, and it became obvious that she would not last the next five minutes.

"Because…I love you too. And I want to see you with her, because I know that is what you want. I have seen the passion she inspires in your heart, and if Kachikachi had attacked her, it would have been you that jumped in front of him."

It was at that moment that Yami noticed her tears sliding down her cheek.

"Go to her."

She was right, and in this mindset Yami let her slide out of his hands and onto the floor.

"Thank you, Kikyo. I couldn't have done this without you, so I send my prayers with you to the afterlife."

And barely able to withhold his broken sobs, the Pharaoh walked away and into the hallway.

Kikyo watched him stride out of her ever-shortening life, eyes finally releasing in full the tears she had contained for so long as they closed. After all of this time, she could finally rest in peace.

Farewell, Yami no Yuugi. May you find happiness with her…

There was one brief flash of light in her eyes, and the priestess Kikyo, guardian of the Shikon no Tama, former lover of Inuyasha, and the savior of Pharaoh Atem, fluttered away from this world.

New Paradigm Ritz-Carlton

So now the situation had become drastically altered.

To say the least, this new information did not bode well. Not only was Michael Seebach in a class of his own in the dueling arena, he was also a certifiable headcase with a vast multitude of unfounded suspicions that fueled his dementia. And now it came to light that this strangely profound madman had a grudge, a colossal grudge, against Yugi's grandfather.

There was not much left to do with the data at this point, at least not until more was found on Schwarzvald's involvement

_There's something else at work here beside's Seebach's vendetta against Solomon Mouto, something else that drove him to find the truth under these particular circumstances. From what I know of the man, he isn't one to take on a yoke even with massive retribution, so he must be under two equally inaccurate impressions: that Hiei considers him an equivalent facet in this plan, and that he can somehow get the truth he desires from him._

Still, intoned Kaiba, if he wanted this central truth and has access to the archives that granted him knowledge of Gozaburo, then he should have been able to find out about what happened to Paradigm City 47 years ago without having to stoop to becoming a Spirit World lackey. Of course, one had to keep in mind that Seebach had become unhinged over the years, but he was something of a genius, albeit a deranged one. So why was he, the man that assaulted Paradigm for being a city of ignorant slaves, a servant of a demon who was almost exactly the same as the man he killed in this city in the sky? 

There was a higher power at work here, and Kaiba would stay out of it until he knew more. And what better way to avoid one servant than to demolish another, less influential one?

The corridor became shorter, or was perceived to become shorter, as his distance to the elevator decreased. It was strangely reminiscent of walking to the electric chair, and as he found himself before the lift doors, Kaiba soon had a strange feeling that something awful was about to happen. A cold sweat began to develop along his brow, his pupils contracted, and he suddenly felt very ill. Perspective was becoming warped and twisted, like seeing a Picasso in kaleidoscopic format.

And one thought pounded in his head, again and again: he had to get Botan out of this place.

But there were voices, thousands of them, throbbing in his head and yelling various things that Kaiba could not hope to interpret, and so confounding were they that he could not even twitch. The colors that his eyes detected soon began to undulate, shifting from shades of blue to black, to red, and many other hues, whilst a cacophony of horrendous sounds pulsed in his ears that drowned out the voices. As this was happening, the colors soon separated themselves from the objects which they tinted, after which they became giant cobra-like beasts that slithered off into the black and white hallway.

_Kaiba…_

A cold and malevolent voice was emerging over all of the scrambled tones, a voice that Kaiba instantaneously recognized.

"TSUBAKI! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU! SHOW YOURSELF!"

_In a sense I already have, my stubborn little friend. You should consider yourself lucky, in fact; most of the curses I lay result in the victim's immediate death. But that is not the issue here._

"Fine. What do you want? To be honest it doesn't matter, for once I find you I will personally put a bullet in that pasty head of yours." Kaiba would ultimately regret opening his mouth, as his vision soon took in nothing but a vast white expanse afterwards. It was similar to a blank computer program he had installed himself in four years ago when he had been designing the final version of his ill-fated virtual reality game. 

Nothing, however, had ever been inserted into this program except for a moderately sized snake head that suddenly decided it wanted to talk to the duelist.

"Interesting that you should mention that, Kaiba. Anyway, I am here to remind you of one thing, the fact that I said you could bring your little girlfriend along with you. Perhaps you misinterpreted what I meant: I must insist that Botan join us."

Kaiba fell silent for a moment, blind rage prevented him from formulating articulate sentences. All he could really do was create a barely coherent grunt.

"Well? What do you say, Kaiba? Do we have a deal or not?"  
His face was rapidly alternating between expressions and glowing brick red as he struggled to say something…and say something he did.

"THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THAT I'M BRINGING BOTAN TO THAT DUEL, YOU HALF-ASSED BITCH! IF YOU WANT TO DUEL ME, FINE, BUT WE DUEL ON MY TERMS, OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL CRACK OPEN THAT CONCRETE SKULL OF YOURS AND GRIND THE CONTENTS TO PIECES WITH THE SENNEN ROD! I DON'T CARE IF WE DON'T DUEL, BUT I'M NOT PUTTING HER LIFE IN DANGER EVER AGAIN!"

Kaiba was now panting heavily as he began to stomp on the snake's head, splattering the blood, bones, muscle, and gray matter contained therein, cold orbs flaring in spite and anger as he dug the mess into the replicated ground.

_Are you dense? I am not giving you a choice, including the acceptance of the challenge!_

"Oh really? And what exactly do you intend to do about it?" Tsubaki's voice did not return, and for the moment Kaiba believed that he had called the Dark Priestess's bluff. But what he failed to understand was that he had never been in any position to do this, which proved to explain his inability to move. 

_What? Why isn't the curse wearing off?_

This thought was soon removed from his conscious mind in the minutes following.

The ground crumbled, or at least it digitized, leaving nothing but a bottomless chasm below Kaiba, and try as he might he could not even get out a scream. But he did not fall; no, several thousand black adders emerged from the pit and wrapped themselves around him, yet did not seem interested in killing him, but decided to drag him down into the oblivion below his feet.

"Seto! Seto, wake up!"

A warm and inviting voice in all of this madness? He could just as well believe that there was a logical explanation for the Sasquatch hype. But there it was, accompanying a light emerging from the abyss that was just as sweet and tender, and his heart was lit up just looking at it. And as he looked at it the light consumed him…

"Seto?"

His eyes opened, and he was staring at the one person who could bring him out of his prolific nightmare, the person whose silky hair he had subconsciously been running his fingers through.

"Hey, Botan."

"Oh thank God!" And now that he had awakened, Kaiba found himself wrapped again in the arms of Death, who incidentally was sobbing on his shoulder.

"What? Did something happen?"

She pulled away, face marked with teardrops as muc as horror.

"You don't remember? You were walking to the elevator when I walked out to talk to you, you know, to wish you good luck. Next thing I know you're talking to yourself and your eyes were blank. I tried to talk to you, but you suddenly started having a seizure and collapsed. I thought you were going to die for a few seconds, so I tried to resuscitate you."

Kaiba gave her a sort of dirty grin at that point, and her resulting giggle confirmed what he had expected from the start.

"Well, it was the most fun I've had trying to bring someone from the edge of death, and you are the cutest one out of all of them."

"So it wasn't a complete loss, was it?"

Her eyes now beamed as the two began laughing hysterically, totally unaware of what they were laughing about soon after. But when you think about it, it didn't matter to either of them. They were both finally happy, and they wouldn't care if the world was burning around them, so long as they were together.

So the old saying is true after all. Opposites do indeed attract.

Kaiba, eyes still gleaming, saw fit to stagger to his feet, barely able to walk towards the elevator.

"Botan, I want you to stay here. If you heard that conversation, then you know that I can't let you follow me to that duel."

"No way, Seto. You've done so much for me, and now I think it's time I return the favor."

She herself stepped up, and followed Kaiba to the elevator. Soon enough the doors opened, and the couple stepped in.

As the lift began it's descent, Kaiba felt a strong sense of apprehension with each floor passed, a feeling which gradually increased. Somehow he knew that Tsubaki would not wait to find him, and also that she had never intended to duel him at the Rosewater Tower in the first place. So what exactly did she intend to do?

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I just had a small premonition."

The lobby was nearing, and he still had no idea what to do and how to do it. How was he going to deal with such a manipulative freak as her?

He was about to find out, as the door opened to the elaborate lobby. No one at all was present in the room, save for two figures near the revolving doors that were swiftly moving towards them.

"I'd get that sword ready."

"Bingo."

Kaiba himself extracted the Sennen Rod, and the four moved forward to the central point, until…

"KAIBA!"

The four now were within standard dueling perimeters, and Kaiba could see his enemies: the dark priestess, and a lithe figure wearing a mask, a black business suit, and a Duel Gauntlet of a hue similar to that of the other three.

"Well, I see you brought the Reaper with you. Good, very good. Now this is how it's going to work. Since I had to approach you, we will duel by my jurisdiction, in this case a tag-team duel. Both duelists will have to be defeated in order to win. And the stakes of this match stand at one key per duelist and one rarest card."

"Fine. My partner will of course be Botan, and I'll assume this gentleman will be yours."

"Correct. So let us begin this duel."

But as the life points and decks were set, the masked duelist decided to speak…and it would change the game.

"I see you found yourself a beau…Kaiba boy." (Team 1: 4000/4000) (Team 2: 4000/4000)

Yusuke vs. Zeru

"You've just made your_ last_ mistake, Zeru! I activate the Trap card, Spirit Shotgun!"

Even as the fire deity hurled itself against the front line of Yusuke's monsters with an attack similar in concept to Hiei's Fist of the Mortal Flame, albeit much less powerful, Yusuke's own entity of the flames leapt in front of the path and channeled a massive amount of Spirit energy into one of it's curled fists. After accomplishing this, the hand was drawn back into a crude fighting stance, palm facing up. And for about ten seconds the position was held.

"FIRE!"

Upon the Spirit Detective's command, the fist was forced into the forefront, and a volley of small, pellet-like Spirit energy shots hurtled out of the hand, a large number of them punching through the flesh of Hino-Kagu Tsuchi. Try as it might, the apparition could not withstand the barrage of energy, and soon it was little more than a bloody rag of bones, flesh, and sparks. But the demolition did not stop there, for soon enough the blast tore through every card that Zeru held on hand and on the field.

"Wh…wh…WHAT!"

It was with one of his arrogant grins that Yusuke slipped the Trap card into the graveyard. "When you decided to attack my Soul Token, you set off the activation of my Spirit Shotgun trap, which can only work if I have a Spirit monster on the field and one in my hand, and the second has to be affected by Spirit Gun. Of course, when I do get to use the card, it negates your attack and destroys every card on your side of the field and in your hand. And as an added bouns, for every Spirit monster of the same attribute as the one on the field that is sent to the graveyard by this trap, I can draw two extra cards."

_"_Damn it. I end my turn."_ It doesn't make any difference, Yusuke. These flames were never meant for me to begin with."_

Ok, it's my move." _Perfect_."Now I will switch my Suzaku into attack mode, along with my Soul Token, and then resummon my Yohkai to the field in attack mode, and because of it's effect it gets 1400 extra attack and defense points, in addition to the bonus of Spirit Gun." The dark wolf returned to the field, this time emitting a massive spiritual aura. (3200/1600) "Ok, Zeru, it's time I send you back to the Spirit World, and this time don't come back! ATTACK HIS LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY!"

It was finally over. As Yohkai charged up his Spirit Gun technique, Suzaku began to trigger the Storm of Torment, and the Soul Token threw dust into the sky to channel his power, the Detective could not deny that in the eyes of the fire demon he saw the eyes of his own ultimate enemy, and as each attack was prepared he began to imagine his own victory against the darkness.

_I'm coming for you,Hiei, and Keiko's leaving with me._

The bullet was fired, the thunder crashed, and the light of God was cast upon the wicked fire demon, who in turn gave out a horrific yell that rang throughout the land. (1400/0) 

The attacks, while replicated, were by no means an easy thing to endure, and it is not surprising that Zeru found himself collapsed upon the hard concrete, unable to maintain the Fire Cage any longer.

It was unfortunate, pondered Yusuke. After all, it wouldn't have been a dreadful thing if the fires had consumed his enemy. Still, he needed to get a few things from his opponent, and it would not have been easy if he was consumed in conflagration.

"I think you owe me something."

The card and keys that were now his soon became such, and with a satisfied smirk Yusuke walked off a ways.

_Well, that didn't turn out bad at all. Only one more key and I'm in the finals._

And yet something did not add up, for now Yusuke had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, a foreboding sensation that was indicative of oncoming damnation. It was for this reason that he had involuntarily begun channeling his Spirit Energy into his index finger, enough to annihilate a small tank, and also involved in his swiveling around to face Zeru, who was staggering to his feet. 

"Urameshi…"

"So, you decided to negate your little trick and finish this up with a fist fight. Well, I have a feeling it'll end about the same as the duel."

_"I'm afraid you won't get the chance, mortal!"_

The Fire Aura, once absent, now intensified to the point where it appeared that Zeru was standing in the middle of a forest fire, and his entire body glowed with the Spirit energy needed to maintain such an attack. "Now, Spirit Detective, it's time for you to die. FIRESTORM!" 

Yusuke panicked slightly at this, and leapt out of the way as a jet of flames capable of engulfing an 18-wheeler roared forward, instantaneously demolishing the front of some antique shop. But unlike his regular attack, this torrent was maintained as would be a flamethrower. And so he shifted the focus point and began to swing the attack around, trying to see through his own aura as he torched just about everything in sight.

"Come out and face me, Urameshi, unless you're just some sniveling little coward who's gone home to mommy!"

But he had clearly not heard of the incidents following his death that would disprove his hypothesis, nor did his manic rampage give him access to the fact that Yusuke was standing right behind him.

_At this range I could kill him easily, prevent the son of a bitch from endangering anybody. But this doesn't feel right, shooting someone in the back like this._

Still, thought the detective, at the rate his enemy was going he would burn down the entire city, and that's the last thing he needed on his conscious. So what does a man do in the situation? 

_Ok, Zeru. I think it's high time we bury you again._

He lifted his index finger that he used as the Spirit Gun's barrel until it was level with the demon's head, utilizing his thumbs as a rudimentary crosshair, and began to fully collect the energy he needed to puncture the flames. Luckily they were not meant for defense, so only 20 percent of his total energy would be necessary. 

The energy had reached the mark. Now, all he had to do was will the Gun to fire…

"SWORD GET LONGER!"

Without any caveat or forewarning, a thin strip of bright orange Spirit energy that took on the crude shape of a sword lanced off of one of the structures to the detective's left, taking an inconsistent path that allowed it to bypass any attempts at defense until it tore through the fire and passed through the larynx of the demon.

For only a second, there was no result. Until the severed head of Zeru tumbled off the neck and rolled away, upon which the fires ceased to be.

Yusuke could not believe it, but swung his weapon to the attack position from whence the strike came anyway.

"SPIRIT GUN!"

If there was anybody there, the shot missed and kept moving into the sky. What happened to it afterwards never was figured out.

_Fuck! Now he could be just about anywhere…_

His eyes darted from roof to roof, trying to seek out the assassin. It was uncertain whether the oaf actually could cover those distances, but it was worth it to try and find out. And of course, Yusuke was very careful to stay mobile, unsure of where the attacker would strike from next.

"Keep your pants on, Urameshi!"

The assassin, who had never once shifted position, now leapt down from the building and in front of his former friend.

"Well, it's been a while, Kuwabara."

"Likewise."

The air was thick with barely contained animosity as the two degenerates paced, keeping parallel to one another, in a way that put their boyhood scuffles to shame. If another such fight broke out, neither one would refrain from killing his fellow.

"Look, Urameshi, why don't you just walk away from this? It no longer concerns you, and you have no idea of what you're getting yourself into."

The second now showed signs of anger and perplexity at subsequent moments.

"I might say the same thing. Listen, you've been brainwashed; Hiei's lying to you, like he's done to everyone else."

"Wake up and smell the coffee, you jackass! Hiei is the only one telling the truth in this situation. Sure, his way's a little nutty and abusive, but he can't be as bad as that Pharaoh you're working for." Kuwabara stepped away, fingering a piece of jewelry that looked suspiciously like a dragon pendant made from one of Yukina's tear pearls. "That Yami wouldn't have done for me what Hiei has. I had nothing, and he took me in, made me a member of the most powerful organization known to man and demon. He gave me power, and soon, he'll use that power to bring a new era to this world."

"What? Do you mean to tell me that you can't even see how crazy this guy is?"

"I see. Just because a person wants to make himself a better life you dub him crazy. When will you learn, Urameshi? Your time is drawing to a close, and I'm not just talking about you. Yami, Kaiba, Inuyasha, all of them, they're all living in the past. If they can't accept that a real man is coming into power, then you can just crawl into obscurity where you belong. It's a new millennium, and the defining line between good and evil is blurring, so adapt, or perish."

It was here that Yusuke saw the truth: that somehow Kuwabara had lost all sense of self. This wasn't like the carefree moron whose ass he had whipped all over town. Something had changed, and although it was connected to Yukina, Hiei's influential hand was involved here.

"It's a time of change, Yusuke. I hope you realize that before I am forced to strike you down." So saying, he turned his back and wandered off, slowly beginning to vanish.

"Kuwabara…"

To Be Continued

Whoa. Longest chapter yet.

Ok, next time we finally get to see Raphael take on Inuyasha, whilst the tag team duel of Kaiba and Botan begins. Roger confronts Alan Gabriel, Yami finds Kagome in a duel with Yami no Marik to attempt to patch things up, Joey begins his next match, Kagome continues her own, and Dartz and Sensui reflect on their encounter.

One more thing. The character of Akuren is on loan from Matrixfighter, whose fic I have taken over.


	38. Guardian Nightmare and the Union's Inten...

Disclaimer: What's there to say?

Ok, Chapter 37 began the epic duel between Inuyasha and Raphael, along with the first abstract duel of the fic (but not the last). Also, Kagome and Yami no Marik did battle, Kachikachi and Kikyo were slain as Yami returned to find his love, the sadist Alan Gabriel made his reemergence, Hiei revealed that he has captured Rin, the demon ninja Akuren made his first appearance, and Kuwabara and Yusuke confronted each other.

Chapter 38 will finally unveil the long-awaited duel between the dog demon and the right hand of Dartz, while Alan Gabriel makes clear his intent. Also, Yami and Kagome find each other again, but in the worst possible position: doing battle with the dark spirit of Marik. Also, Joey must face a wind demon of his own, but one that's a lot different from Kagura. Kaiba and Botan begin their battle against Tsubaki and the masked duelist, and Sensui and Dartz reflect on their first encounter.

Chapter 37: Guardian Nightmare and the Union's Intent

Inuyasha vs. Raphael

"Since you challenged me, I'll start this duel!"

At this point, there was only one strategy that Inuyasha had in mind, one that was engraved into his head by his desires to butcher Hiei and cleanse the world of his darkness. _If I'm going to win this duel, I have to take away the most powerful card in his entire deck and use it against him. And there's only one card that could be._

_"_I'll start by placing four cards face down, and then I'll place a monster in defense mode. Hope you can handle it." 

"Not bad, half-blood, but it'll take a lot more than some half-assed strategy you threw together when you were rummaging through the trash to stop me! It's my move."

Raphael's fingers fell upon the deck, subconsciously traced a cross upon it, and added another card into his hand.

_Not bad at all._

"Now I activate the Magic card, Treasure of the Guardian Goddess, which allows me to discard five cards from my hand and draw two more, and at the beginning of each turn I may draw two cards instead of just one, meaning I now have the upper hand."

"We'll see about that, Raphael. After all, we've only just begun to play." But in his mind, Inuyasha was feeling an unsettling amount of anxiety at what he was sure would be a difficult match

Something doesn't feel right here. This is the exact same opening move that Sesshomaru used on me in our last duel, and if history is any judge, he'll be dumping a few monsters next. But it doesn't seem that simple. I can't figure out why, but something tells me he won't go down easily.

Still, mulled the half-breed, if he was dealing with Sesshomaru's deck again, he would know exactly what cards he had to work with. "I'm not quite finished here. I'll place one monster in defense mode, along with one card face down, and end my turn." 

"Fine, then it's my turn again." _Knowing this guy's deck strategy, he'll be expecting me to destroy his monster, an attack which he'll use to his advantage with the Michizure trap card, like Sesshomaru did. "As Inuyasha saw his next monster, though, he gained a brilliant idea._

"I'm sorry, Raph, but it looks like your little plan just failed. First, I'll place one more card face down, and then I'll flip my face down monster face up, Pitch-Black Warwolf, and as long as it remains face up on the field you can't activate Trap cards during your battle phase." The face down monster was now a black wolf-like warrior with a dark blade and heavy armor. (1600/600) "Next, I'll sacrifice my wolf in order to summon my Strike Basilisk in attack mode, followed by the activation of my face down Call of the Haunted to resurrect the Warwolf." The mighty beast soldier was soon replaced with a towering serpent whose scales were alternating hues of black, dark blue, and a venomous green. (2400/2000) At the same instant, the soldier of the hounds was returned to the field in a dark mausoleum. "Finally, I'll activate my second face down card, Destroyer Gauntlet, which I'll equip onto my Warwolf to increase it's attack by 2000 points!" As he activated his final card, the wolf soldier now gained a heavy piece of machinery, a complex cybernetic attachment that hummed with barely withheld nuclear energy, thus giving it massive destructive potential. (3600/600) "Now, Basilisk, destroy his face down monster with Serpent's Damnation!"

Eyes of ruby now flared in hate as the grandiose serpent rose to it's full and overbearing height, and with speed unparalleled the monster fell upon Raphael's face down monster, which soon revealed itself to be a heavily muscled blue ogre that appeared to be a sort of guardian. (0/2200) Once the monster was revealed, it was instantly pinned by the snake and could do nothing as it's sharp fangs dug deep into it's flesh and rendered it immobile. After that, it was not hard for the basilisk to swallow his enemy.

"Looks like your last line of defense just went out the window, Raphael. And now, Pitch-Black Warwolf, attack his life points directly!"

But something happened, just before the attack could be called.

"I'm not done here yet, demon! I activate the card I had face down, Self Tribute, to pay 1000 life points and resurrect my Backup Gardna!"

And it was here that Inuyasha realized what he was getting himself into.

A dark presence had brought itself upon the field, and that presence was draining spirit energy from Raphael's very body, causing him new levels of pain thanks in part to the accuracy of holographic perception in Hiei's technology. Of course, being a man that had known pain since his youth, it was not exactly a far stretch to say that it barely crossed his mind. And given the fact that his life essence was being used to resurrect his defense monster, it made little difference to him anyway. (4000/3000)

"Not bad, but your plan has one fatal flaw. Your monster is still at the mercy of my Warwolf! Destroy his monster, and this time, make sure it stays dead!"

As soon as the attack was called, the hefty gauntlet began triggering it's chief function, and heavy matter from the core of the machine now flowed into the fist of its user, thus creating something of a nuclear bomb effect that would incinerate both monsters and deal some harsh life point damage to both monsters. This is gonna be sweet.The energy now took on a harsh pitch, and soon the entirety of Inuyasha's monster was humming with radioactivity that would kill a normal human, and with this power to back it up the wolf swung at it's adversary.

But the Backup Gardna was not finished yet. 

"I activate the Magic card, Bury God's Relief, which allows me to negate your attack and protect my monster!"

"What! You don't even have any other cards on the field or in your hand! How can you activate a Magic card when you don't even have one?"

"There's more than one place to play a card from. You see, dog demon, I'm activating this card from the Graveyard!"

And he had done so, and for this reason he now was able to block the attack and save his monster again. 

To say the least, Inuyasha was frustrated. It had never been this hard to destroy one enemy monster, and he didn't doubt that other cards that would allow Raphael to continue to save his creatures existed in his deck._ But that means he'll dump at least two or three cards per monster. If I can survive long enough to exhaust his protection cards, I'll be able to crush this son of a bitch once and for all_."Raphael, I hope you realize exactly how much this little strategy of yours is costing you. I don't doubt that you have stronger cards than that Backup Gardna in your deck, so why have you wasted two powerful Magic cards in an attempt to save it? Do you have some kind of love for the card, or are you just stupid?"

His eyes flashed slightly, but Inuyasha, being somewhat oblivious to the world around him, did not notice.

"You ignorant moron. I see you have no comprehension of the bond I have with these monsters. But then, perhaps I should give you a more personal demonstration of that."

In his mind, Raphael called out to his deck, beseeched it to aid him, and drew out his cards.

"For this move, I'll activate my Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw until we have six cards on hand. Next, I shall activate the Magic card, Rod of Silence-Kay'est, which I'll equip onto my Backup Gardna, increasing its overall defensive power by 500 points. But there's another reason I've played this card." Even as the duelists watched, a lengthy staff emerged from a divine light in the sky above that appeared to be hewn of coral and set at the top with a clear pearl, and the Gardna took on the stave. (0/2700)

"Don't tell me. You're going to summon the Guardian Kay'est. I've dealt with Guardian decks, and I happen to know a lot about how they work."

"Very perceptive." And as Inuyasha had stated, Raphael summoned his first Guardian, the first of many.

The creature that now stood before the duelists was, in the basest of terms, a mermaid. She, or it, rather, stood about the same height as Inuyasha, with hair of a similar color to seaweed and an azure tail. (1000/1800) "Of course, now my monster is just about invincible, but I'm afraid it will only get worse for you. For my next move, I'll activate the Magic Card known as Purity of the Cemetery!"

_What? This guy's deck is insane!_

"I can tell by the look on your face that the last duelist you faced with a Guardian deck did not have this card, so allow me to explain how it works. At the end of every turn you take you'll lose 100 life points for each monster in your Graveyard, but this effect can only be maintained so long as my Graveyard has no monsters in it."

"Heh. So all I have to do to get rid of your Magic card is kill one of your monsters. Seems easy enough."

"Oh really? Well, maybe you don't get my dueling strategy. You see, I make a very special point of keeping my monsters out of the Graveyard, even if it costs me almost all my life points. These monsters mean that much to me."

"That is such a load of bullshit. You don't care squat about those cards, or at least not as much as I do."

And now Raphael could not control his wrath.

"If you really think that, then why don't you look at these, you pathetic vermin!"

His hands shaking with barely confined fury, he lifted up his Guardian Kay'est monster card so that Inuyasha could see it for himself, and in the process see how devoted Raphael was to these cards.

Even from that distance, it was easy to see that the card was worn, so much so that the text and picture were barely legible. And Inuyasha also noticed that his Backup Gardna was in the same condition as the other Guardian.

"You say I don't respect my cards, Inuyasha. Well, there's something you should know about them before you cast judgment: I've had this deck for over 13 years!"

_13 years! So this guy IS nuts!"_Well, it doesn't look like you took very good care of them."

"Time wears away all things, no matter how well they are maintained. But I see that my trust in these cards is over your head. At any rate, I'll continue the duel by placing two more cards face down to end my turn."

"Ok, it's my move again." Inuyasha looked over the cards in his hand, a droplet of sweat dangling from his brow. He had the materials, but could he actually pull it off?

"Alright, it's time we end this once and for all!"

"I have to disagree! I activate the face down card I had, Mystical Space Typhoon, to wipe out your Destroyer Gauntlet!" His eyes flared in triumph as the heavy weaponry was destroyed, thus returning the Warwolf to his original power.

"It doesn't matter. I still have the cards I need to take you apart! Now I'll place two cards face down, and sacrifice my Warwolf and Basilisk, along with Call of the Haunted, in order to summon the monster known as Andros Sphinx in attack mode!" With an almost maniacal grin, Inuyasha discarded his two monsters and slammed one of his most powerful creatures onto the Duel Gauntlet.

Once both creatures were in a crouched position, they began to have racking muscle spasms that soon consumed their entire bodies, at the same time eliciting painful howls that were characteristic of fathers who had lost their sons, until both were finally absorbed into a single point of light that incinerated any evidence that they had ever existed. And it was from this pinprick of illumination that a portal between dimensions was opened, enough so for a new monster to emerge onto the mortal plane.

This titanic beast was unlike anything that had been played in the duel thus far. It was, for all intensive purposes, a bipedal lion-like monstrosity with heavy muscle definition and blazing red eyes, along with cobalt armor that pulsed with unfathomable spirit energy. (3000/2500)

"Luckily for you, my latest monster can't attack during the turn it is summoned, so I'll just pump up it's strength with the United We Stand Equip card, and that'll do it for now." Upon the wrists of the Sphinx materialized the gauntlets representative of the powerful card. (3800/3300)

"Not bad, dog demon. But remember that I still have the upper hand." Two more cards were drawn, and they were perfect for the situation. "For my next move, I'll activate the first card I set last turn, Guardian's Creed! This Magic card can only be activated if no damage was done to my monsters by an enemy monster in your last turn, and I have at least one Guardian monster on my field. If this is the case, I can discard one Magic card from my hand and Special Summon one Guardian monster from my deck with it's Equip card attached, so long as it has the same attribute as one monster on the field. So in this case, I think Guardian Kain would be an appropriate monster!"

From the Magic card now leapt yet another Guardian, this time a wiry sorcerer with a burgundy robe that hung loosely upon his shoulders, unable to conceal his waif-like attire beneath. His face was gaunt with sunken eyes, yet he seemed to have a certain trait of purity. In his hands was a thick black iron staff, barbed at one end, and crowned with a perfectly cut channeling crystal. (2600/2000)

Inuyasha's face suddenly became blanch as he recalled the infamous Kain, a monster that, according to Sesshomaru, had been responsible for controlling the balance of light and darkness, a responsibility that had cost him his soul. His effect was no less renowned, and the Staff of Chaos only made the situation worse.

"Next, I shall activate another Equip card, Chain of Mortality-Tyrol, which I'll use to increase the attack strength of Kain by 400 more points. And since I have the Chain and two Guardians on the field, I can Special Summon my Guardian Tyrol to the field in Attack mode." Two more cards appeared on the field, a thick chain with jagged links that played host to several jets of flame (3000/2000), and the original monster for whom it was intended, a burly mountain soldier with a loose pair of pants, thick leather boots, and a heavy sleeveless jacket. (2400/1200). "Finally, I'll activate the last Magic card I have on hand, Pot of Greed, in order to draw two more cards, after which I'll invoke the divine power of the Staff of Chaos to reuse the effect and draw two more." The stave, responding to the use of magic, began to hum with a chaotic aura that doubled the effect.

"HA! Do you really think you'll win with that pathetic lineup? Not one of your monsters is capable of defeating my Andros Sphinx, and even if they were, I still have two cards for you to contend with. After all, when you Special Summoned Tyrol you activated the effect of my Celebration of Creation Trap card, which ends your turn automatically and lets me draw one card. Granted, you still get your four cards, but it doesn't matter. After all, I want you to draw every card you can until you get that Magic card of yours."

And now something really was wrong. Raphael now had a strange look of divine justice in his eye, as if this had been his plan all along.

"It seems one part of your plan has been accomplished." With that he extracted one of the cards from his hand, and flipped it over to reveal what it was.

The second he saw this card, Inuyasha could not believe it. His plan had finally paid off, and soon Raphael would be devastated.

For the card Raphael had drawn…was the Seal of Orichalcos.

Roger's Penthouse

Negotiations with the dead were assignments in which the negotiator was paid a handsome sum in order to settle any one of a vast multitude of legal disputes over the meaning of a deceased family member's will, and generally fell into the category of one relative claiming senority of the estate over another one.

But as Roger Smith stared down the barrel of a gold-plated handgun, it occurred to him that in his case, negotiations with the dead often meant exactly what it was worded as.

"I guess you never do know when it's time to die, Alan Gabriel."

The warped grin that was the cyborg's trademark stretched out, a nervous fit of giggling emerging with it. Roger could almost hear the trigger finger squirming, practically begging to pull backwards and drill a hole in the negotiator's head.

"Well, what a cold thing to say from such an old friend! Come now, can't you act just a little bit civil? Besides, your foot's deeper in the grave then mine!"

Alan, in a fit of his usual dementia, pointed his gun into the air and allowed it's load to pierce the ceiling, at the same time skipping like a little boy all over the floor, and Roger was inadvertently reminded of Schwarzvald's masquerade party that was used as a catalyst to introduce the Big Duo. Watching the abomination sashay about, the heavy magnum always pointed towards his temple, brought back memories of Paradigm's elite slowly drowning themselves in indulgence…just before they were put to the torch.

And this time, Roger could not depend on the reporter to do the same here.

"Come now, my tight-laced chum, why are you so sad? If anything, you should be dancing with glee, for soon you'll be in a place where there is nothing but sadness! And it won't be long now before I carve your tombstone out of your little microcosm!"

He could see through Alan's little charade, and behind his mask of harmless insanity Roger knew this man was a cold-blooded murderer. It would not be long before he decided to turn the gun on his adversary, and finish the job he and the Inferno had started.

"Sorry, Alan, but I'll have to remove you before you can do that. You see, I'm very adamant about my code of conduct around here, so I make a special point of only letting women into my house unannounced, and I'm pretty sure you don't fit that category!"

And in an unseen turn of events, the fast-thinking negotiator flung his bottle of gin at Alan Gabriel's head.

"HA! All you've done is waste a good bottle of Yardmouth!"

The emissary pivoted his firing arm and pulled the trigger again, instantly shattering the bottle and spilling liquor everywhere; it was fortunate for Alan that his wide-brimmed hat prevented the gin and glass from spraying in his eyes.

What it did not prevent was a swift uppercut from crashing into his jaw.

The element of surprise was a fleeting thing, but Roger had taken advantage of it perfectly, and in the momentary shock he swiveled and slammed his leg into the assassin's gut with a sweeping spin kick, one that forced him to relax his grip on the magnum and drop it.

But as Roger pulled back his fist to attempt a third unhindered strike, the cyborg leapt out of the path and sprinted forward. Unable to dodge, the Tomato was sliced across the chest with Alan's blade-like hand. The injury was minor, but forced Roger to act with greater caution.

"What makes you think that man can conquer machine!"

Alan acted again almost immediately after his first strike, flipping himself backwards with a gymnast's grace to crush the tip of his foot into Roger's chest. After that, he bolted forward again…

…only to have his arm clamped in the crook of Roger's.

"If you can't behave like a gentleman, Mr. Gabriel, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave!"

Shifting his weight slightly, Roger spun around and hurled Alan out of the broken window, and watched him plummet for a few stories before his grappling arm punched through the air and clamped onto the sill again, instantly returning Alan back to the room.

"Nice try, you aging gigolo. But I didn't think you could kill the boogeyman."

Alan had obviously decided it was time to take the kid gloves out of the match, for now his robotic hand had been converted into a rapidly-spinning drill. And without any warning he bolted towards his old adversary.

_At long last, I'll finally be able to end this battle once and for all, and put that outdated Rosewater in his place._

He was about ten feet from Roger, victory so close he could smell and taste it, when a severe flaw was represented in his attack plan; chiefly, his inability to dodge sneak attacks, as the gunshot from behind indicated.

"DAMN IT!"

Unable to maintain his balance as the bullet buried itself in the small of his back, Alan Gabriel veered off course and slammed into the wall, his drill hand getting stuck.

With another heavy sigh, the negotiating duelist relaxed and poured a glass of wine for his own benefit, watching with some amusement as Alan lay prone on the ground, knocked unconscious by the impact.

_Humor is the best medicine, I suppose._

But as the person who pulled the trigger stepped into the room, alcohol came in as a close second.

"Ok, I've asked you once, I've asked you many times, so at least answer me now. Why the hell won't you carry a gun!"

Roger was tempted to respond with a snide remark, but in his experience with Angel, he'd learned it was best to keep his mouth shut.

"It's not that hard to put a five pound chunk of metal in your pocket, if it's the effort that bothers you! I've seen you carry a fricken' android to your car, for the love of God! Do you not like the way it looks? Is it your goddamn pride? DAMNIT, ANSWER ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"

"I think you should have figured it out by now. I don't carry a gun because I happen to be a gentleman." He had not expected a positive response to that, but he hoped for one anyway.

It was indeed an ill-founded hope.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU! DO YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF GOD COMPLEX OR SOMETHING! ARE YOU INSANE, OR JUST PLAIN STUPID!"

Angel continued to yell at him in this vein, eyes bulging in wrath as she gesticulated fervently in all manners, but Roger zoned it out. These ravings were not completely new to him, but it was nice to know that she cared.

And speaking of caring…

"I hope you like this, Roger Smith."

All eyes now turned on the android, the unparalleled Nightingale of Paradigm City, dressed in the red dress which she had worn to the nightclub that also bore the title of Nightingale.

_That Wayneright sure is a craftsman._

She was about ten feet away from him when Angel noticed exactly what was going on, and in realization became aware of what Roger had become.

"You do realize, and I reiterate, that you are hitting on a robot?"

"Really? It didn't cross my mind."

"Seriously, Roger, you should get out more." Noting the look on his face, she leveled the gun so that it was point blank next to his temple. "And if you say that I should put out more, you'll have yourself a nice nine millimeter headache."

Roger only flashed her one of his disarming smirks, and poured himself a glass of wine. "Well, since the corporate jester decided to kill the mood, we may as well figure out what he's doing here." But before the domineus could get up, Angel strode over to the limp form and placed a heavy copper mechanism ontothe cyborg'sneck.

"This will hold him down until we can figure out what to do with the bastard. Normally, I'd kill him, but we're in no position to do that right now."

It was a rather unusual statement, considering that Alan Gabriel was probably working on his own at this point. If he was to actually escape, then there would be no end of torment, so it was likely best to finish him off.

"The way I see it, he has become a freelancer without any connections. It would be best if we remove him from the picture without causing any serious media action."

"I have to agree with Dorothy. I don't see any way that Alan could be of use to us alive."

Angel's eyes shifted from Roger, to Alan, and to her handbag, and it was immediately obvious that she wasn't telling something.

"Listen, we're in over our head this time. I say we just pull out of here before anyone catches on to us."

Angel looked extraordinarily nervous, seeming to watch the walls to ascertain whether any eyes were spying on them. "Roger, you have no idea of what we're up against. You see, Hiei isn't the only superpower we're dealing with."

And it was then that Roger remembered the other organization Alan Gabriel was associated with.

"Wait. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Her face became one of melancholy regret, as the oldest of her memories came flooding back to her, as did the tears of unbridled terror.

"I'm afraid so. The Union…is in control of New Paradigm City…"

Corridor outside of the ballroom

Yami did not have any idea what to think at that very moment.

On the one hand, Kachikachi had, after over five thousand years of unchecked brutality and malice, been finally put to rest, and if luck was with him it would remain that way. As if that wasn't enough, he was now only two duels away from the Hellfire Tournament Finals, and he could, in an indescribable manner, sense that Kagome had forgiven him.

But there was also a dark spot on his glorious triumph, a sort of heaviness that prevented him from being fully jubilant in his victory.

_Kikyo…_

Her blood was still thick on his hands, albeit cold and lacking of life force, and looking at it blend and fuse with the blood he had lost in his Shadow Game made him think of her sacrifice; more importantly, it made him think of exactly why she had taken the sword in his place. Her claim had been simplistic, but profound. 

_Because…I love you too._

His stride began to decrease, and was soon replaced with a melancholy sort of trudge as the exhaustion and guilt combined to weigh heavily upon his shoulders and mind.

Not for the first time, the grim reality of what kind of a tournament he had been catapulted into occurred to him.

How many people would have to suffer before Hiei was satisfied?

Still, thought the Pharaoh, at least some good came out of this duel. And he had seen Kikyo's suffering, buried deep in her heart, so perhaps it was better this way. But he knew that after this, life and the world would never be the same. Her loss would resonate for years to come, and in later years, when the history books of this tournament were written, whole chapters would be devoted to her life, death, and rebirth, only to die again.

_May you find peace in oblivion._

Philosophical ponderings aside, Yami now saw fit to continue moving forward, and as he did so he entertained idea of finding a more stable asylum, as concealed as possible from Hiei and everyone else. So far two emissaries had been sent to dispatch the two of them, and from the way things had been going there would be other soldiers following in their wake…soldiers that weren't interested in a duel. Also, he had had an unsettling premonition ever since the tournament began, one that led him to believe the worst was ahead.

Ever since Hiei had started the Hellfire Tournament, there had been an inexplicable tension in the air, one that the people of New Paradigm were oblivious to. The resurrection of the Seal of Orichalcos was only one of the harbingers of things to come. There was also Schwarzvald's involvement, for which Yami had no real explanation, and Naraku bringing himself into the world.

New Paradigm was not the Paradise it was made out to be, and he was not just thinking about the obvious flaws in that perception.

Perhaps this was destiny's plan for him, to combat the darkness that plagued this floating metropolis, or maybe Hiei's plans had a greater depth than simple brute force and domination. It had been apparent from the start that Hiei knew too much about the power of the Sennen Items, and his knowledge of the Shikon no Tama was disconcerting in itself.

So in order to defeat Hiei once and for all, he would need to delve deeper into his plotting, and by doing so, delve deeper into the pits of his own existence. To fight the Devil, the Pharaoh would need to enter his consciousness, and discover what else fueled his insanity, for there was indeed a higher power at work here.

But what was that power? Schwarzvald's purported Truth of Paradigm? Or did it run farther back, back to the days of ancient Egypt, from whence much of the Pharaoh's torment and blessing had originated?

In a sense, he was asking of himself whether there were powers behind the powers, a central control that was invariably present within every event that had befallen them all, from the powers of the Seal to even Schwarzvald's god-like Big Duo. If this was the case, then there was only one possible explanation for everything that had happened. 

_If these forces are indeed connected, then it must mean that Hiei is the ultimate evil, that destiny's entire purpose for me was to arrive in New Paradigm City._

The blood on his hands warmed slightly. 

He continued walking in the general direction of his room, praying while he contemplated. Lately he had not been so much focused on the darkness of the world and how to purify it, but rather his attention had been entirely on Kagome, and he was distracted in his duels with Kachikachi and Kagura because of this. All he had been able to think about on the way to his Shadow Game was Kagome, her fragrant sable hair, her mesmerizing eyes, her sweet smile, and how he would win her back. She consumed his every thought; every card he played was in her name; every second she was not with him, he died a little, and every second she was with him a thousand of those parts were resurrected.

_So then why did I kiss Kikyo?_

A question that was concealed from him since the start of his duel now jumped to the forefront. Yami had never exactly been able to pinpoint why he had defiled his relationship that meant so much to him, with a woman that Kagome obviously resented. The first idea that came to mind was physical attraction, but despite Kikyo's beauty he was not so lowly that he would practice infidelity for that purpose. No, there was another reason, some kind of hidden purpose for kissing her that he could not discern.

Until he remembered the tale of the monstrosity that had possessed Yugi, about how a priestess by the exact same name had helped him seal off the powers of shadow 5000 years prior.

_Of course! It all makes sense now! Kagome and I did not meet by chance, but rather because history is repeating itself again, so at first I fell for Kagome. But when Kikyo appeared, the powers of the Puzzle recognized that love, and it almost overrode the love for her incarnation that I had originally. But if that is the case, then why did my feelings for Kagome take precedence?_

He could not puzzle it out, and try as he might his efforts bore no fruit. So he decided that it was not best to tempt fate. After all, did it really matter how he was in love with this angel, so long as he was?

It was then that he sensed it, a pulse of Shadow magic from a point not too far off, a force that, to him, was all too familiar.

_No! How could he have returned!_

If there was any doubt in Yami's mind that Kagome was connected to the past, it was now dispelled. 

With panic in his eyes and mind, Atem bolted forward, feet barely brushing the hardwood.

_You won't escape again…Yami no Marik._

DOOM Fortress

A giant robot. That was all a megadeus was, in essence; nothing more than an oversized mechanical being. So then why was the man known as Michael Seebach, the highest lieutenant of the Black Shadow hierarchy, preaching that these machines were the power of God in the hands of Man? What drove him to these wildly inaccurate and oftentimes ludicrous beliefs?

Dartz had seen a megadeus before, and he could tell for certain that it was not a god from the machine. Granted, this had been a fairly weak version, useful only as basic infantry, but the people around him at that time acted as if the world was about to end when they saw it.

It had crumbled like soil at the wrath of Atlantis.

Sitting in his private office, sipping a glass of sherry and watching the events of a modern city in the sky through an arrangement of flat-panel LCD television monitors, Dartz had already begun to appreciate the ignorance of New Paradigm's residents; even he could recall the memories of his people and what led to the calling of Orichalcos. But there were at least several that knew the truth of their origin, as Rosewater's version of Frankenstein's monster. Watching them, mortals and Tomatoes alike, Dartz could not help but wonder about the memories of Paradigm City, memories that even Spirit World could not discern.

He was always curious as to what the Event was, and even more interested in where Paradigm itself existed. For such a massive stage, from whence originated this gargantuan metropolis, his operatives had been unable to locate it, and even black market satellite imagery had been useless in tracking the superstructure. And when he attempted to utilize his own unique brand of location, nothing was ever found.

_How can such a behemoth of a construction be concealed from my eyes?_

Dartz placed the empty glass on the table, and wandered over to the bay windows from where he could view all of the City of Amnesia, a city created by Alex Rosewater in his quest for a deific power, constantly oblivious to the true power of God that Atlantis played host to. But what force could he have hoped to find in such a desolate wasteland? 

His hand fell upon the Magic card that he held in his pocket, long since cold from having the souls it bore extracted. What did Alex, or Gordon rather, know that DOOM did not?

But he had no reason to think of Paradigm and it's fascist demigod; whatever souls it had that were of any real power were dissolved 47 years prior. And in all seriousness, he did not have any real requirement for a megadeus…for the moment.

Around his neck, the Pendant of Orichalcos gave off a sharp pulse of energy, responding to the arrival of a piece of the Orichalcos Stone. And judging from the strength of this pulse, he could almost instantly tell who it was.

The door shuddered with a heavy rap, with three others in quick succession.

"Enter, Shinobu."

The twin oaken doors swung open, and the twisted ex-Spirit Detective burst in.

"Is there something you need? As you can understand, I do not have time to deal with your many personal problems, so unless this is business-related I don't want to hear it."

"You know why I'm here, Atlantean."

Of course, thought Dartz.

"I've told you once, and I'll tell you again. If I gave you free rein in this project, I don't doubt that every human being in this city shall be dead by sundown. Instead, I want you to focus on the purpose for which I hired you in the first place."

Dartz reached over to pick up his glass, likely to refill it again. Sensui, on the other hand, flopped onto one of the sofas nearby as he scoped out a lager from the open bar next to him, grabbed it, and twisted off the bottle cap.

"Again, I don't have time for socializations."

"An understandable sentiment, but I do indeed have something of importance. As it happens, your little plan to lead us to Kagome has failed miserably. That irresolute fox was captured by an unnamed entity before he could actually find the bitch."

"Once again you are unaware of the big picture, Shinobu. You see, the unknown entity is in fact an old nemesis of the Pharaoh's, so either way the plan succeeded. But I can only assume you have come here for more important reasons then jumping to half-assed conclusions."

There was a snicker over the sound of slurped beer, and the lunatic placed his bottle down.

"Strangely enough, there is one matter that requires your attention." His hand reached into a hidden pocket in his shirt, and from this tossed a red index card about the same size of a Duel Monsters card. Dartz, in turn, caught the card, and gave it a passing glance before discarding it. "This means nothing. In all fairness, the Paradigm City Council is little more than a puppet regime. Their word means as much as Naraku's."

"And the Union?"

The Atlantean gave a cold smirk as he refilled his glass for the third time, and probably the last time. "The Union does not exist. It's not unlike the boogeyman in that the people choose to believe it exists, and as such are frightened of it. Only when they see that it is an apparition will they learn to stand against it."_ And in the process see the truth of my kingdom._

Sensui had heard all of these theories before, and was always amused by how closely they corresponded to his own beliefs about Paradigm City. Like Dartz, the detective gone mad had never taken the powers of megadeii seriously, but for a different reason altogether: the fact that he was in the possession of deific might, and had seen such power in action by way of the Seal. 

"I think that's enough for now, Shinobu. You may leave."

"Alright. But before I forget, there was a message from one of our contacts in the New Paradigm Hotel. That woman you were monitoring is dead."

"She has been dead for many years, so it was not a far stretch. But at least one of our enemies is in the grave to stay."

Sensui, having developed no real malice against Kikyo or Kagome, or at least no more than any other human, stepped up and turned towards the hallway.

"Oh, and one more thing, Dartz. I have not yet forgotten what you did, so be mindful when all is said and done."

"Interesting sentiment, coming from a man whose life I saved; had it not been for my hand, that detective would have annihilated you with one shot. And even if he wasn't possessed by Raizen…"

"That does not matter, not anymore. Were it not for your involvement that brat would not have found me in the first place. I told the same thing to your henchmen, and I'll tell it to you: this is my battle, not yours." And with a sneer of disdain he strode out.

Dartz, as usual, was not impressed. He knew what had happened in Makai, and he knew that Sensui would not yet turn upon his cause, for as of that moment DOOM was the only path left for the fanatic to take to accomplish his goals.

_You won't get the chance to turn upon me, Shinobu._

The last of the sherry was gone, and the wineglass was unceremoniously set on the table. There were a few things left to do before the next attack plan couldbe set into place, and he needed to be sober for all of them. 

Kaiba and Botan vs. Tsubaki and the Masked Duelist

"What…what did you just say?"

"You heard my words, Seto. Why do you seem so glum? Put a smile on that stone face of yours." The voice was boisterous, witty, something you expect to find with an eccentric dandy. "After all, it's the last chance you'll get in a very long time." And now the voice hardened; beneath the flowers and sunshine was a blade of wickedness.

"Seto, do you know this man?"

"All too well. What I want to know is how the Priestess found him."

Somehow Kaiba had gotten himself into the worst possible position in a matter of minutes. Now not only did he have to face one of the champions of Duel Monsters…

…but now he had to face its creator.

"I think we've heard just about enough here, so why don't you reveal yourself, _Pegasus?_"

"Very well, Kaiba. If it will help you come to terms with the reality of the situation, then look out world, here I come!"

With an exaggerated flourish the hood was tossed skyward, to reveal the face of one of the world's most flamboyant geniuses. The face itself was pale, but unlike Tsubaki, it was a pallor of affluence that seemed to coincide perfectly with his shoulder length platinum hair, which happened to cover one half of his face. Perfectly trimmed eyebrows and dark red irises completed the ensemble.

"I think we've seen enough. Now, here is how the duel is going to work. I shall begin the match, followed by the reaper, then Pegasus, and finally Kaiba. No one may attack until it is my turn again. Both duelists must be defeated in order to win, and mass-effect cards affect both fields when used. And since this was my idea in the first place, I'll start things off." All cards were drawn, the stage was set, and Tsubaki was ready to show the world her power and beauty.

"I'll begin by placing a card face down, followed immediately thereafter by the summoning of my Gagagigo in attack mode." The monster first summoned appeared to be a creature from an old English folktale, a humanoid lizard with thick claws and razor sharp fangs. (1850/1000) "Granted, my monster will not remain on the field for very long; I plan to sacrifice it using the Magic card, Ultra Evolution Pill!" The brute of a reptile was immediately presented with a massive capsule that it could barely fit into it's mouth, whereupon it's genetic structure began to rapidly alter itself. The entirety of Darwinian theory was accelerated, or decelerated rather, millions of years, until a new, even deadlier monster was called forth, a massive tyrannosaurus rex with armored black skin and eyes that blazed with a dark, primordial strength unseen by man in over 65 million years. (2600/1800) "And that's not all I have in store for you. Next I think I'll activate this, a Magic card known as In And Out, to discard any number of cards from my hand, and in exchange draw that many from my deck. Now that I've dealt with that, it's time I activate the card known as Premature Burial, to Special Summon the monster I sent to the Graveyard, Gagagigo, which I'll sacrifice again to use the power of Tribute Doll!" (4000/4000) (3200/4000) Once more the lizard was offered, and in it's place emerged another titanic creature, this time a hovering orb of green that seemed ready to send a gust of wind at whoever stood against it. "Behold my Kazejin, a gift from one of Naraku's subservient puppets!" (2400/2200) "Next I shall play the Megamorph Equip Magic, which shall double the attack strength of my Tyranno!" As stated, the overall muscle definition of the beast now increased two-fold. (5200/1800) "Finally, I'll place one more card face down and end my turn. Your move, reaper."

And the time had finally come for Kaiba and everyone else. It was time to see what Botan could really do.

"As you wish." The starting card was drawn, and Botan realized that in spite of Tsubaki's massive field advantage, she was still in a position to take them all apart. "Ok, I'll start by summoning one of my favorite monsters to the field, Valkyrie Mist, in attack mode!" Her first monster was indeed a Valkyrie, a beautiful and yet overbearing monster with golden armor and hair of a tone akin to a deep forest. (1700/1200) "Next, I'll play the card Reginleif, to draw one card for each Valkyrie I have on the field, followed immediately thereafter by the activation of Valkyrie's Embrace, which I'll use to switch my monster into defense mode and remove your Tyranno from play." Without any thought for her own safety, the handmaiden of Odin strode over to the gargantuan beast that was Tsubaki's monster and opened it's arms wide, as if in brotherhood, and for a moment the dinosaur was unsure of what to do. However, after a moment it allowed itself to be held, unaware that the Valkyrie had drawn out a long, glowing dagger that was positioned at the base of it's skull. Of course, the second the dinosaur felt the cool metal pressing against its skin did it realize exactly what was going on, and gave out a massive bellow of anger and fear. But it was too late, for once the monster understood the significance of what was happening, Mist shoved the blade deep into its head, thus causing it to explode in a horrific mess. After this, the Valkyrie went into a defensive stance.

"Well, I guess we all have to go sometime."

"Heh, not bad."

"That was just a lucky shot, Kaiba. Let's see if your girlfriend can pull it off again."

"Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you. For my next move, I'll place one card face down, and then I'll play Maiden of Swan, so that I can Special Summon the monster known as Valkyrie Sovite!" The second Valkyrie of Botan's was an apparently stronger creature than the last, a pink-haired warrior mounted upon a horse. (1600/1600) "And by the special ability of my monster, I am allowed to destroy any monster on your side of the field when this monster is summoned, so say bye-bye to your Kazejin!" Sovite, as per this effect, leapt into the sky and brought its sword crashing through the Wind God's torso, slicing it in half diagonally.

"HA! I activate the card I had face down known as Rope of Life, in order to resurrect my Kazejin with an extra 800 attack points, so long as I discard my entire hand." A rope now appeared from the chasms of Hell, and upon it hung the disgraced god. (3200/2200) "Care to try again?"

"Sure, why not? I'll place two cards face down to end the turn."

"Well, then, it looks like it's my move! Just like old times, huh Kaiba?"

Pegasus now drew his card, and almost died laughing.

"Well, Kaiba, I think it's time I begin the match, and I think you'll appreciate this monster. Come on out, Toon Alligator!"

Kaiba's eyes went black as he remembered in vivid detail the dueling strategy of this monster, the sadistic madman who had kidnapped his brother and ripped out his soul, as well as attempted to take control of his corporation. And now, in some pathetic attempt to attack him psychologically, the bastard was playing the exact same strategy.

Well, it's working.

Now, Pegasus was one of the most respected businessmen in all the world; his Duel Monsters game alone had amassed billions of dollars in profit, and his other ventures had been no less profitable. It was for this reason that he was considered to be one of the greatest minds that existed, and in spite of his eccentric proclivities he was still viewed as such.

But watching him summon the cartoonish lizard to the field made Kaiba wonder whether Pegasus was just a brilliant child. (800/1600)

"Of course, this critter isn't what I want, so instead I'll use it as tribute! But how will I do that if I already summoned a monster? Whatever shall I do? Oh, I know, I'll activate Toon World!"

Toon World. That one card had forced Kaiba to endure over three weeks of hardcore therapy simply to forget the affect it had had on his life. By the hand of this card he had almost lost what he defined as his reasons for life, and now it seemed like it was about to perform an encore. And even as the hideous green hardback popup book was unveiled in all of its disgusting glory, Pegasus's eyes took on a new definition of insane. (4000/4000) (3200/3000)

"But that's not the end. Next, I'll sacrifice my Toon Alligator so that I can summon Toon Vampire Lord in attack mode!" In a manner similar to how Beck summoned his Vampire Lord, the Toon Alligator had its soul absorbed into the ground, from whence a stone coffin emerged yet again. However, the monster that leapt forth from the casket was nothing like his counterpart.

The Toon Vampire Lord appeared as though it had come from a cheap costume party, with bloated cheeks, an over-exaggerated grin, a flowing cape that completely failed to inspire terror, and a constant tendency to yell out stereotypical vampiric sayings. (2000/1500) "And there's even more cartoon fun! Next off, I'll summon the monster known as Toon Gemini Elf, and while I'm at it, I'll summon Toon Goblin Attack Force as well!" Two more pen and ink blasphemies against nature were summoned, this time a pair of manga-based elf twins and a small unit of hideous goblins. (1900/900) (2300/0) "Ok, I'll end my turn with one card face down."

"Perfect. Now I can finally shut you up." The first card of Kaiba's was drawn. "Alright, Pegasus, if you're going to act the part of an ass, then I'll show you no mercy! Remember, you can't look at my cards like you did last time. I'll start by placing three cards face down, followed by activating Magical Sanctuary! This card allows all players to add one Magic card from their deck to their hand, and as long as this card remains in play we may activate Magic cards during all turns. Of course, that won't be of much help, for now I activate Raigeki Vortex! By discarding one card from my hand, I can wipe out all of your face-up monsters on the field." Much like the original Raigeki, a rain of electric hellfire came down upon the heads of all four monsters, incinerating them and splattering their innards all about. "I've only just begun. Next, I'll activate Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards." _Excellent. _"I shall then summon Mech Blader in attack mode, whom I'll equip with Excalibur to double his attack power at the cost of my Draw Phase." Kaiba's next monster was a svelte android made of blue metal, with a red view port and razor-thin blades on its hands, arms and heels. (1950/1000) At the same time, a long European sword fell into its hands, boosting the Mech's power tremendously. (3900/1000) "Finally, I'll activate the card I had face down, Spell Economics, which disregards my payment of life points for Magic cards. This is fortunate for me, because now I can activate the Autonomous Action Unit card I hade face down to resurrect Kazejin!" The Wind God returned to the field, this time with a complex mechanism on its back that replicated normal body function. "That's all for now."

"Perfect. Now it's time to annihilate you!"

"Not yet. I activate the last card I played face down, Pyro Clock of Destiny, meaning your turn is skipped."

"Meaning the duel comes back to me. And it'll end right here for one of you! I summon Valkyrie Sigrdrifa by sacrificing my Valkyrie Mist, and by my new maiden's effect half of Mist's attack points will be added to those of Sigrdrifa!" Yet another Valkyrie was summoned, this time a lady with emerald armor and locks of platinum. (2300/2300) And as stated by her effect, the sword she wielded split asunder, and produced a weapon akin to that held by Mist. (3150/2300) "Sigrdrifa, attack Tsubaki's life points directly! Twin Bladed Wrath of the Gods!" With blades extended an equivalent distance apart, the great messenger hurled herself forward, and when she was about three feet from Tsubaki she crashed her blades together at the dark priestess's head. (4000/4000) (50/3000)

What happened next was unexpected: Tsubaki began laughing.

"Thanks, Botan. You did everything exactly as I had hoped. Because you inflicted over 1000 points of damage to me, I am allowed to special summon a monster known as Spirit King Rukuranba to the field in defense mode, and thanks to Kaiba's Sanctuary, I can equip the Heart of Clear Water I drew before he could use his clock, making him utterly invincible to your pathetic attacks." Tsubaki's next monster was indeed the Spirit King, an oversized lizard with greasy black hair and warped, beady eyes. (1000/2000) At the same time, a bubble of sanctified water consumed the monster.

"Fine, I end my turn."

"Alright, I think some overtime in order, so I'll go again!"

"Not on your life, Pegasus! I activate the face down Magic card I had, Blessings of Thor, to force you to skip your turn as well. And because it resolved before your Standby Phase, your Toon Vampire Lord will not be returning until your next turn. Take them down, baby."

"I like the way you think." _Maybe Yugi was right about this whole teamwork thing. Well, maybe with someone who has my skill level._

"Alright, I'll destroy my Excalibur by allowing myself to draw, and then I'll activate the drawn card, Card of Sanctity." All four duelists drew their cards. "Next, I'll play the card known as Spell Reproduction, to discard two Magic Cards from my hand to add one to my hand from the grave, in this case Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards. Finally, I'll activate Monster Reborn to resurrect Pegasus's Alligator!" The golden ankh returned, and with it reemerged the cartoon. "And since I have three monsters on my side of the field, I think I'll make a small sacrifice. You know what's coming, Pegasus. After all, you made this card yourself." 

"What's he talking about? You didn't actually give him a card that he can use against us, did you?"

"I didn't. He got it from a colleague."

The card ascended in Kaiba's hand, and it didn't take long for Botan to see what it was._ I knew you could do it, Seto._

Such confidence in his eyes could only come from one monster. And Tsubaki knew what had to be done to best it.

_We have to turn this duel around, and I think I have a way to do it._

_"THE END IS HERE! I SACRIFICE KAZEJIN, MECH BLADER, AND TOON ALLIGATOR TO SUMMON MY EGYPTIAN GOD CARD, OBELISK THE TORMENTOR!"_

Kagome vs. Yami no Marik

The Revival Jam. A personal trademark of Yami no Marik's, and easily one of his deadliest creatures, if played in the correct way. But Kagome had never heard of this card before, so she had no idea of what she was up against.

The monster that revealed itself did not appear to take on any solid shape or form, but rather looked like an ameba with the vague impression of a skull taking form in it's face. Every so often it undulated, as if changing its shape. (1500/500) "You have no idea of the horrors you are about to experience at the hand of this beast. But just to ensure my victory, I'll place one card face down and end my turn there."

_What? If he wanted to defeat me, he could have used a better monster. Eh, he's probably just waiting for something else._

"My move!" Her next card drawn, and she knew very well how to use it. "Alright, demon, I don't know what possessed you to summon that blob of a monster, but now you're gonna pay for it! I summon Yuez, Judge of Light, in attack mode!" The next monster Kagome summoned was yet another angel, but this time was draped in a platinum-cloth robe, had deep blue skin, and wings of a light green hue. (1900/1200) "And then I'll play the Magic card, Return of Tithes, to draw two cards because I have two Light-type monsters on my side of the field. Finally, I'll place one of the cards I drew face down. Now, Yutai, attack his Revival Jam and end this duel!"

The blade was drawn, and with no idea of what he was getting himself into the angel charged forth again. But there was no fear in the demon's eyes, and it didn't take a genius to see that this duel was not over by a long shot. The blade fell, splattering the Jam all about the arena.

"Alright, now, it's your turn, Gemini Elf!"

"I'm afraid not! Or have you forgotten my Revival Jam?"

"Don't be stupid; I just destroyed that monster!"

"Oh, did you?"

And just as in Battle City, the blob slowly began to reconstruct itself, replacing scattered genetic structures and reformatting its base anatomy so that it could endure another attack, until such time as the monster was fully restored to its original form.

"This particular monster is infamous for its capability to survive any attack placed against it, though in reality it is just Special Summoned immediately after being destroyed. Of course, this means that thanks to my face down card, Jam Defender, you can't cause any damage to my life points." The stated Trap card activated, and as Kagome read the text she was horrified to realize that the spirit was right.

"Fine. That will end my turn."

The spirit's eyes now gleamed with barely contained lunacy, his entire face began to contort and warp itself, and his fingers looked slightly talon-like as he drew his next card. "You pathetic miko; what you have just seen is only the tip of the iceberg that is my deck, for within these cardboard boundaries I hold a card unlike anything you have ever seen, a devastating monstrosity of the gods created by the hand of man. But sadly, I have yet to draw that card, so you shall have to wait. In the meantime, I shall summon the monster known as Melchid the Four-Faced Beast in attack mode, and because it is a Fiend-type monster I can use the Magic card, Thoughts from a Darkened Veil!" As Yami no Marik summoned his next monster, a hovering set of masks that seemed to derive from a satanic ritual (1500/1000), a ring of shade settled itself upon the arena. After this bizarre phenomenon had taken place, a strange form of speaking ran its way through the veil, a chant-like English that sounded as though it was being recited backwards. "You see, when there is a Fiend-type monster on my side of the field, I can take control of one of your monsters until my next standby phase, so I think its time I remove those Cherub Wings from your field by controlling Yutai." The veil dissipated as soon as the target was specified, revealing that the once angelic monster had been swayed by the argument of Beelzebub into joining Yami no Marik. "But I doubt that shall matter, for I intend to sacrifice these monsters!"

"Wait! You've already used up your summon this turn!"

"Such a naïve wench; my deck is loaded with overpowering surprises, such as the fact that I can offer up my Melchid and your Yutai to call upon one of the most horrific demons of Hell to ever step upon this plane! I summon the Masked Beast Death Guardius!"

Within an instant, the monsters Yami no Marik had collected were consumed in twin pillars of acrid fumes that acutely bore resemblance to the Destruction Cloud technique occasionally used by Naraku in combat, and much like that miasma the vapors burned away at the flesh of both monsters. As she watched, the rotten flesh seemed to hover, almost wraith-like, as the bones and muscles also took on a stasis in the basic blueprint of a humanoid beast; after forming this crude semblance, the corroding bodies started to connect themselves, creating an appearance of the muscular anatomical study of a demon. Soon thereafter, the dead epidermis and bones created the outer flesh of this monster, and when all was said and done the end result was a crime against nature.

The demonic soldier of the depths of Hell was indeed a sight of unparalleled disgust, with a sort of bony exoskeleton containing its cadaver-like muscle tone, along with a pair of triple claws that could slice through solid rock with the greatest of ease. Three heads sat atop its massive form, each with a different sort of cult mask in which glowed burning crimson eyes. (3300/2500) "As you can see, my devil's minion is one of the most spiteful of the eternal damned, as well as one of the most lethal of my beasts, and it has the attack strength to wipe you out once and for all. It's unfortunate, actually; I would not have minded if this match had posed more of a challenge to me. But I suppose one cannot have everything. Now, my Masked Beast, I command you to decapitate her Yuez, and by this prove that a priestess's light cannot dispel my shadows!"

The ogre showed no signs of mercy as it spread apart the triad of claws, which even now were stained with mortal and immortal blood of all it had devoured, and took a cautionary step forward, as if to test the waters. She could almost hear its unseen nostrils flare up, the soft click of the fangs it hid somewhere.

The Beast dug its talons into the ground and leapt forward, claws open, hands ready to slice apart the innards of the angelic soldier and feast upon them.

Luckily, Kagome still had one more trick up her sleeve.

"I activate the card I had face down, Waboku, which will allow my monsters and I to survive your attack!" Before the claw of the demon could find a home within Yuez's flesh, a set of three high priestesses formed a semi-circle around the angel and his mistress, blocking the attack at the cost of their own lives. "I won't go down that easily, spirit."

"I think it is high time that you call me Yami no Marik, but that is not the issue. For now, I shall end my turn."

_Whew. That was almost too close. But now I think its time I show this chump how someone really duels._

"It's my move! And I'll start by activating the Magic card known as White Cross! Because I have a Judge on my side of the field, I can destroy one of your monsters on the field, and I think your Death Guardius is the perfect candidate for my sanctification!"

Yuez, having now found the ultimate weapon of God in a simple crucifix carven of platinum, walked forward with the symbol up on high, preparing to enact the will of the heavens. Death Guardius, in turn, cringed in outright terror as the Judge of Light walked ever closer, and as the cross began to emit an unorthodox tune of harps.

And one of the Judges of the Heavens laid his verdict, roaring out a prayer in an old Latin dialect that caused the cross to erupt in a blaze of the purest magic, a wave of purity and consecration that overtook the darkness of the vile creature, peeling away at the unholy barbs and sending it back to the Pit.

Yami no Marik, unable to handle yet another white magic spell, staggered backwards as his monster was once again laid waste. How could this be happening to him? The Pharaoh he could understand having such an effect upon him, but this woman was only a novice; he should have been able to demolish her within the first few turns! And yet she had inherited something else from the Priestess to whom she was connected, something that was about to come to the light of day, no pun intended.

_It seems that the young priestess has forced my hand. I think now would be the appropriate time to commence the onset of the greatest beast my deck can conjure._

"Unfortunately for you, my dear, I shall not yet be vanquished. Remember, I still have my Revival Jam to defend my life points, not to mention your Gemini Elf!" 

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember that you sent my Masked Beast Death Guardius to the graveyard, and by doing so you have allowed it to leave behind a set of masks." And indeed, the three occult faces that had one been those of the demon's now lay prone on the ground. "These masks, in turn, allow me to activate a rather powerful Magic card from my deck, the Bequeathed Mask, which allows me to control one of your monsters as long as it is equipped!" And as he said this, the trio of masks became one, a mask that, like the beast that had created it, was a sin against creation, in that it was a revolting fusion of multiple demon faces that reeked of the grave. "Now, my mask of remnants, attack yourself to the twin faeries!" This hideous death mask split into two and locked soundly onto the heads of both elves, calling them to join the shade. "HA! Now there is nothing you can do!" "I'm not quite finished. Next I'll play Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards, and from those cards I'll summon Yunay, Judge of Life in attack mode!" Unlike the other angels called forth, this seraph was fully armored in blue crystal from which wings of blood red emerged. In his hands was a heavy diamond mace, whilst his arms bore thick blades of frozen light. (2000/1500) "Finally, I shall activate the card called Holy Brith, which shall remove your Revival Jam from play so long as my two monsters give up their attack for this turn." The twin beings of purity, having been given their second divine command from an unseen deity, dutifully crossed weapons to match the emblem for which they did battle. As this ceremony was completed, a holy light erupted from the intersection of the sword and mace, which in its turn formed a second crucifix that absorbed the Revival Jam within a stream of knife-like energy. "And I think that will do for the moment."

But Yami no Marik had already been incensed, and he now saw fit to begin the hunt.

"Well, it seems I have underestimated your capabilities as a duelist, young Kagome, and as such I think it is high time I step up my game. If you thought that dueling me was difficult before, then you are about to experience the penultimate of all my strategies, and from such shall I damn you into the Abyss of Darkness until the end of time! It's my move!"

Yami no Marik was just about to see the next card he drew when he sensed another force breaking into the Shadow Game, a force of a magical signature that could only stem from one basis.

"But before that, I think it is time you said your last goodbyes."

Kagome also sensed this great strength, and her heart almost leapt for joy. If this was the man she suspected it was, then this malevolent spirit was about to experience a rather rude awakening.

The shade parted, to reveal the worn and exhausted visage of the Pharaoh.

New Paradigm Market

Shopping in New Paradigm was a lot like trying to find a reliable price from a jeweler, in that the store owner would often downplay the truth for his own gain. And as Joey scanned the exorbitant costs of even the most frugal of items, he came to understand the parallel.

So far the duelist from the hard streets, as he had come to be called, was not at all impressed with the monstrous eyesore that was called a paradise; not only was the leviathan vessel defending the citadel an unattractive trait, but the entire city was bloated with lies. Promoted as a safe and prosperous haven for all who passed the threshold, it was in reality an extensive façade used to sedate the poor and dejected who would thus be inclined to think that they too lived in Heaven.

It was a despicable lie, one that, had Schwarzvald not been so involved in other activities correlating to a far outdated truth, would likely have gained a harsher attention than that of the Battle City and Duelist Kingdom finalist. Besides, Joey's mind was already sharply focused on his latest acquisitions that would bring him ever closer to his conquest of the Hellfire Tournament, a tournament of incomparable horrors and maniacal plans, the full scope of which had not even been revealed to the Pharaoh himself.

At the moment, Joey just happened to be thinking about exactly how much he had been affected by his confrontations with Yugi in times gone by, and by this couldn't help but wonder how different his life would be had he not been saved by his first real friend. The two had endured so very much as a solid and invincible team, and he knew, as strongly as he had known during Duelist Kingdom, that no one would conquer them.

And they had even more support now, ironically because of the lunatic that was attempting to destroy them. Yusuke and Inuyasha were now at their side, along with that Roger character, and Kaiba, loathsome as he was, would yet prove to be vital to their ultimate triumph. There had never been a challenge set against Yugi and the Pharaoh that hadn't been surmounted, and with this fresh firepower, he doubted that the Devil himself could overcome what had been brought together.

But confidence aside, Joey also knew that the victory would not be one of easy gain.

_If Chu was such a hard ass duelist, then I can only imagine how tough Hiei and his bitches will be. With a wallet that full and a major head problem, he'll have no problem assembling a crack team of duelists to fight his battles, and if what Yusuke said is true, the head lunatic will likely have an ultimate deck strategy on hand every time he fights. Throw in the Sennen Eye, and you've got a recipe for disaster._

Joey, regardless of his outward foolhardiness, was not a complete imbecile, and he also knew that the only way he'd actually stand a chance in Hell against Jagenshi and his thugs was to corner them. Like Dartz, they would have to find his place of residence and slaughter him, and having Helmos at hand would make the situation much easier. 

_Besides, the sooner I get rid of Sesshomaru, the better off the world'll be._

He could never understand why or how, but ever since his first encounter with the purebred dog demon, Joey had borne a very strong dislike for him and his hostile mannerisms, and it wasn't just about the way he had dispatched Weevil. His entire persona struck a harsh chord in Joey's mind, one that no matter what could not be shaken, and if anything was true in this world, it was that eventually the two would come to blows.

But he couldn't focus on that now. He needed to find another duel to make up for his previous sloth.

Now, in Joey's experience, duelists were often prone to hang around in groups during tournaments; a large number were zealous enough to want to be close to the action so that they could get closer to the finals. So the solution was simple: find a cluster, and the rest was cakewalk.

The duelists, however, were few in number, and try as he might he could not track down anybody. The few he could locate didn't stick around because of his reputation, meaning that they were likely green in both experience and confidence, and he couldn't be bothered dueling weaklings.

As for the people of New Paradigm? They treated just about everyone as though they were the lowest refuse in existence, despite their own hovel of a metropolis, but in Joey's case they were especially spiteful, whispering slurs behind his back. And one of the terms they happened to use was bankotsu.

He heard this, and turned violently towards the wealthy snob that had uttered it.

"Hey, you talkin' about me, motherfucker!"

The attacker, an extravagantly dressed man who looked as though he had been born with not only a silver spoon in his mouth, but an entire silver kitchen set on hand, looked at Joey as though he was a vagabond.

"I'm sorry, were you talking to me? Why, I never had a clue that they allowed stray dogs in the store."

"WHAT!"

Joey had never taken the term of dog very well in his direction, and since the man before him did not seem to be of much strength, he didn't see why he shouldn't beat him up until the bones in his face were rearranged.

"You wanna go, ya fancy bitch? I'll take you and all yer bodyguards down!"

"You have no right to talk to me in that manner. While you and your vile family stemmed from bastard roots, I was born from one of the old families, those wealthy aristocrats who were around even before the Event. I learned every art, and am in line to inherit billions of American dollars on my eighteenth birthday, so I have little time for fisticuffs with such riffraff as you. Why don't you go home to your shanty and bed with your sister? I'm certain she won't mind…"

His continued rant of superiority was cut short when the curled fist of an enraged duelist smashed into his affluent face, shattering his nose and ruining the plastic surgery he had had on his fourteenth half-birthday. The boy, in turn, gave out an effeminate shriek as he was laid to the ground.

"HELP! HELP! I'M BEING ATTACKED BY THIS MONGREL!"

A swift kick to the mouth silenced him, and splattered blood and teeth all over.

Joey, eyes blazing with fraternal hatred, lifted the spoiled brat by his collar, and began slamming his fist into his face and neck respectively, making sure that the impact was heavy and swift.

"NOBODY TALKS ABOUT MY LITTLE SISTER LIKE THAT! DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU PIECE OF CRAP! NOBODY!"

Without any mercy or remorse, Joey swiveled his position and forced the boy's face into the glass window of a local jewelery store, cutting up his hand and the bastard's face in the process. After performing this brutality, Joey continued by smashing his head onto one of the nearest walls, and a load-bearing one at that. 

No one was nearby, and thus no one heard the snob's horrified shrieks for help, or rather his pathetic whimpers of terror as he curled into a fetal position and pleaded for mercy. But by then, he was so frightened that he had no idea that his assailant had long since walked off.

Joey wasn't a thug, he wasn't a bully, at least not right then. He'd been defending his little sister's honor from the slurs of the true "riffraff", these pampered idiots who had never seen the horrors of true living; so blinded were they by Paradise that those who were not of the city now thought that outsiders were no better than garbage. He could see the influence of corruption and usury all around him, and he could not help but wonder how far it had spread…

"Why, ya certinly twisted 'is knickers in a bunch, 'aven't ya, bucko?"

Now, Joey knew very little of the city, but he did know one thing for certain: there was not a person of Irish descent in the entire city. So there was no way that anybody could have any accent of that kind here, especially not one that outrageous. So with little else to do, he decided to look around to see if anybody was playing a trick on him.

_Let's see, jewelry store, bunch of rich stiffs, some broken glass, a red haired dude floating in midair, a coffee shop…_The image didn't register for a moment, whereupon it came crashing upon his consciousness.

_"JESUS FRICKIN' CHRIST!"_

"Ah, so ya finally noticed me. Where I come from, the youth generally ain't so dense. Ah, but whaddaya gunna do? I figure it's not best at be interferin with ya tomfoolery, so I'll let ya go on wit ya business. Just don' go awhalin' on some random bugga likes he's a fruitin looney."

The obviously eccentric man was dressed in a rather strange ninja outfit, composed of a pair of white hakama pants held up by a pair of straps crossing his chest in a cross pattern. His wild red hair served as a poor method of concealing a set of three horns wreathing his head, and upon his arm was a pale Duel Gauntlet.

"Uh…"

"Ah, don'tcha worry yerself, Wheeler. Talk bout town says ya right thrashed Chu in a duel, and he's considered to be one o' da best 'round these parts. Besides, any friend'a Urameshi's is a friend'a mine."

"So you know Yusuke?"

"Eh, I sorta thought ever'one knew of 'em, and rumor has it he 'n tht Yugi fella are wrapped up in a smelly bit 'a trouble. Hiei turned on us, or so I heard."

The strange demon did a midair backflip, and when he faced Joey again he had a bright look on his face.

"Hey, I just 'ad myself one wigglin' fun idea. Let's have ourselves a duel, stakes at two keys and one card, and see whose best fit fer keepin' on in this tourney?"

"You're not gonna toss us in some shadow game, are ya?"

Judging from the subsequent clueless look on the man's face, Joey decided to agree to it.

"Ok, but don't get upset when I kick your ass!"

"Ah, I'll be doin' the kickin here, boyo!" (4000/4000)

To Be Continued

Ah, it is done. And in record time.

Ok, next chap will continue the first tag team, whilst Yami and Kagome reconcile on the battlefield. Also, Hiei speaks with the head of the Union, Roger faces his next opponent, Inuyasha and Raphael keep on keeping on, and Akuren's role is explored.

Ok, now, here are the Original cards:

Destroyer Gauntlet and Thoughts from a Darkened Veil are Helldragon's.

Valkyrie Mist, Reginleif, Valkyrie Sigrdrifa, Blessings of Thor are all Time Mage's, as are Yuez, Yutai, Yunay, White Cross, Holy Brith, Tyrol, Kain, the appropriate equips for those monsters, Cherub Wings, and anything else I forgot to mention.

As for Toon Vampire Lord, Guardian's Creed, and Mech Blader, those are mine.

If anyone is missing anything in this category, let me know.


	39. The Reunion of Lost Lovers and the Demon...

Disclaimer: My power is the word, not the law.

Ok, previously, we began two of the most highly anticipated duels of the story, Raphael vs. Inuyasha and Kaiba and Botan vs. Tsubaki and Pegasus, as well as imply Sensui's lack of respect for Dartz. Also, Kagome kept up her conquest, Yami came to realize the danger his beloved was in, Roger was attacked, and Joey began his duel with Jin.

In chapter 39, Hiei and his supreme lieutenants must confront the rulers of New Paradigm, as Yami and Kagome finally kiss and make up, Kaiba and Botan continue to battle the priestess of shade and the genius with a Peter Pan complex, Roger stands against the Union's next soldier, the gripping duel of Inuyasha vs. Raphael reaches a new plateau, and Kachikachi's parallel, the ninja Akuren, reveals more of himself and his dark knowledge.

Chapter 38: The Reunion of Lost Lovers and the Demonic Upheaval, Part 1

New Paradigm HQ

Hiei could not tell what was worse: the stench of rotting corpses, or the vile reek of ionized air. To make the decision even more strenuous, both happened to be with him at the same time.

"I'm assuming that our barter has been properly set up; am I correct, or was I mistaken in trusting this assignment to your operatives?"

"Everything has been set up as you requested, but with all due respect, I do not think the opposite party will entertain your latest endeavor."

In all honesty, Schwarzvald was correct in that belief and Hiei knew it. So far he'd been able to get away with just about everything he had done in this tournament, but it would not be enough to obtain the power he and his organization sought. What had been happening so far was petty compared to what was about to commence…if he could get the clearance he needed.

It was for this reason that Hiei, Michael Seebach, Yoko Kurama, scarred brutally, yet still alive, Yami no Bakura, and Genkai were in the massive elevator on the way to the top floor of Rosewater Tower, the official hub of New Paradigm's government. Akuren was currently on assignment at that time, and Sesshomaru was managing his own business.

Schwarzvald pulled out one of his cigarettes and lit it, allowing the heady smoke of burning tobacco to course down his throat.

"Must you smoke those things in here? The odor's bad enough as is."

Genkai, although she had a good point, fell silent when Hiei flashed a wicked glare. Insubordination from his inner circle to a higher ranking officer was expressly forbidden in times of business, especially when that officer was Hiei's second in command.

Besides, there was no time for internal strife when dealing with the senate of this unholy city.

It was unclear to the Black Shadow, and everyone else for that matter, exactly how the government of Paradigm City functioned prior to 47 years ago, a fact that was true in correlation with everything else about the Forgotten City. The only thing known for certain was that the entire metropolis had somehow been contained within an underground structure that existed somewhere in this world. Hiei had estimated that this structure was established somewhere close to Japan, seeing as his right hand had spent up to a year playing Duel Monsters in Osaka, but could never totally confirm whether this was true. More to the point, the city had been able to transport materials to and from the outside, which implied that somehow Alex Rosewater had known of it before the Revelation.

And judging from documentation of the Paradigm Corp board meetings from as far back as 4 years prior, the Union knew it too.

Leaning against the glass elevator gave Hiei a perfect vantage point of the expansive skies and the inferno of power that was the sun that stood in the background, which was already starting to dim, and it occurred to him that he had never tried to appreciate the sun alone in late afternoon, let alone an actual sunset. _But then, mine was once a life without the rising and setting of the sun; rather, it was one of an infinite twilight interrupted by a fleeting aurora that was swift to float away. As time had gone by the twilight itself had begun to darken, until the night became me and dementia became the stars. Everything that had, for one brief and glorious moonrise, been in my grasp, it was all snatched away. It was a gap I had filled easily enough, though, with power, alcohol, sex, and Duel Monsters._

But he did not dare look at what had once been there, for fear of what awaited him in the abyss.

The elevator continued to climb. 

"I almost forgot to ask. Did the transfer that we spoke of earlier go as planned?"

Yami no Bakura got a look in his eye that spoke volumes, and the question was answered. Granted, it was just a formality, since Hiei could have easily determined the truth with his Eye, but it was important to ensure the respect of his comrades. And within the next few days he would need the respect of all that stood with him, especially his latest employee.

Seeing that they were nearing the top floor, the demon of fire and ice began to prepare himself for what was about to happen. Everything had to go perfectly if this was going to work, and with the situation as it stood that would prove challenging.

A few moments more, he thought to himself. The second those doors opened, the next plateau would be reached, bringing him one step closer to his ascension to the seat of the gods.

The clock was ticking, and everyone could hear it.

"Welcome to Floor 195. Board of Directors offices, Treasury, and Official City Business Committee members offices." There was an inconsequential screech of metal, and the doors opened.

"It's time. I assume everyone remembers the process we studied?"

Their nods were slightly reassuring, but not in a grand way.

Hiei was the first to step onto the purple rug of the main office center's floor, noting that since his last visit to the main office of Paradigm the faint odor of gunpowder and blood had been extracted, and the self-serving full-size portrait of Rosewater hanging behind the receptionist's desk had long since been burned away. Even the flowers and color of the walls were indicative that times had changed.

_For an organization made up of phantoms, they seem to have become rather successful._

"Ah, good afternoon, Mister Jagenshi. The board of directors has been expecting you."

The receptionist, a stout old woman who seemed not to know disdain, directed Hiei towards the twin hardwood doors at the end of the hallway, ironically the same doors that had once been used in the earliest offices of Paradigm Corp about 39 years previously. Schwarzvald had referred to it as a recycling complex, claiming that the corrupt city pacified the demands for memories by replacing them with familiar items and edifices. It was supposedly the same reason, he had said, that the Speakeasy and the Paradigm Hotel were still around.

He was never too sure of whether this was accurate, but it made some sense.

"Alright. Now, the three of you shall remain out here while Seebach and I handle the opening negotiations. I'll give you the indication to enter, and please try to keep that straight."

Hiei's feet made little sound as he walked towards the boardroom, and Schwarzvald soon followed in his wake, leaving the three that had accompanied them with the secretary. As the two strode undaunted towards their destination, the younger, more powerful one turned towards his confidante, who had motioned slightly with his bandaged hand to garner his attention.

"Tell me, what exactly do you intend to do with this latest project of yours? Security alone nearly held it back four months."

"She is not a project. I'm simply hoping to reinforce my armies, and if I can gain data on Naraku in the process, then I am not complaining. Either way, it works in our favor."

"I suppose you're correct. But can we trust her?"

"You're a man of some kind of deluded brilliance, Schwarzvald. You tell me."

At this point, the doors ahead burst open.

"Soon, master. Soon this corrupt city shall burn to the ground, and in its place will emerge a grand empire where the Event shall be revealed to all."

"Don't get excited yet. We still have a few things to do…such as deal with Ronstadt."

Both colleagues were prepared for this, and had been since coming to New Paradigm.

With little stopping them save the fact that a great difficulty lay ahead, the two entered the boardroom of the New Paradigm City Council. In other words, the front for the Union.

Hiei knew very little about the underground organization save for their basic motive, which had become outdated quite recently. No one actually had any idea where it had started, who initiated the motion, or even what countries were involved politically. All that was known was that the members were foreigners from all sorts of nationalities. And all of them loathed Rosewater.

The key people were never seen very much by the rest of the anarchists, but Hiei and Schwarzvald stood before them now, four of the seven leaders of the Union. The demon instantly recognized the pale white crew cut and half burgundy, half lime eyes of Luther Kerzenlicht, a famed mobster who was also an extraordinarily skilled duelist, which was unveiled by the hue of his Duel Gauntlet, as well as the bloated visage of Damien Yarlozta, the Czech commandant of the Union's artillery unit who had been on assignment from Tarukane a few years back. He did not recognize the blanched face of the third, but with a quick scan he understood he was a disgraced nationalist named Nikolai Uktavanof who managed economics in the Union's outside accounts. Finally, there was the man Schwarzvald alone recognized, Richard Jacobs, an investigative journalist from America who had been studying Rosewater's tyrannical regime and found it horrific.

But the person Hiei wanted to see was missing.

"I'll assume that one of you dunderheads has taken his head out of his own ass long enough to have some semblance of what has happened over the past few days, so perhaps you can tell me why three of your board are missing in action."

His patience, stretched thin already because of Sesshomaru, was rapidly beginning to drain into oblivion, and he was tempted to unleash his full power, but decided against it based on recent information he had collected. "Well, do you idiots know where your own people are, or is such an idea simply too much for your miniscule brains to handle?"

And then he sensed it.

"I must insist that you do not insult my operatives, Hiei. It is not good for business."

The speaker's heavy French accent was a dead giveaway, and Hiei turned in a violent rage towards her.

"You're late, Vera."

His eyes flashed with hatred as he beheld the woman he had been looking for, and as always he was struck by her extreme masculinity. With a protruding forehead, augmented by her rapidly receding hairline, and pointed nose, one might even go so far as to say that she was a male with a Goldilocks wig and lipstick. However, that is not to say that she held no authority over the rest of the Union.

"Alright, let us get down to business." The woman unveiled as Vera Ronstadt sat down at her appointed seat on the end of the desk closest to the bay windows that allowed them to look over the panoramic metropolis. "Messieurs Jagenshi and Seebach have, of late, been responsible for several infractions of ze law that, according to them, have been in our own best interests. So far we have been able to look ze other way for most of them; all of ze kidnappings were of enemies of ze state, as you call them, invaders bent on ze defeat of ze Union. However, ze recent assassination attempts against one Seto Kaiba have raised questions amongst ze media moguls. There is also ze cost of maintaining your tournament, there have been at least three deaths related to ze duels so far, and there is ze matter of whatever debauchery goes on within your fortress…"

Hiei was prepared with a rebuttal, as always. "Need I remind you that were it not for these actions I would be unable to defeat those bastards? Bear in mind that my planning has just begun to go into effect."

"Well, we'd like to zee some results. So far you and your street gang have done nothing for ze wellbeing of zis city, and by introducing these outsiders you have brought a plague upon our heads."

"Vera, perhaps you would see fit to remember that you yourselves were outsiders at one point, or have you forgotten because of your internal corruptions? Already Rosewater's hand is becoming evident within your utopian society, and by this you are unable to see what is real in this world."

"That's enough, Seebach. However, I must admit that my second is correct in his accusations, so here is my proposition." With a fluid motion, he tossed a thin sheaf of papers bound in a manila folder towards the Union's leader. "I am afraid that, as the conditions stand, my organization can only divulge this information to the leader of the New Paradigm City Council for approval, but once she has completed the overview she can pass the data onto her fellows and decide on it."

"And your current actions?"

"They will be disregarded, as per our previous agreement. And as usual, my accountants will handle the necessary monetary transactions. Your answer to my proposal will be expected within the normal timeframes."

"Agreed."

Vera looked at the documents, fully aware that his Eye was upon her. "You realize, of course, that there is a chance that ze Union may not approve your plan."

"I doubt that."

Hiei and Schwarzvald seemed rather confident as they calmly walked away, the demon cold as always and the reporter grinning from ear to ear. And once they were out of earshot he whispered to his superior.

"I assume that you have some kind of backup plan in mind, milord."

Hiei, in turn, shifted his position to face the lunatic.

"Yes, but you'll have to wait and witness it for yourself. Now, about that matter we discussed earlier."

He was, of course, referring to the recent string of disappearances that had been happening lately in the Black Shadow, chiefly small-time mercenaries and the occasional lawyer. At first the inner circle had disregarded it as simple kidnappings from rival gangs, or covert strikes from DOOM or Naraku, and that was considered the worst case scenario; however, when a truckload containing contraband weapons and gold bullion was accosted and the manager of the transport slain, several eyebrows were raised in query.

"Ah, yes. We did manage to determine who is responsible, as you requested, but I am afraid that he works neither for Naraku, Dartz, or even the Pharaoh…"

The ranking officer waited for a moment or so, as the Eye showed him everything.

"Shall I intitiate an attack, master? Maybe this could be the baptism of fire for your latest recruit."

"No need. I know how to handle this, and I think it would be unwise to pit her against the man we're up against, at least not until her assimilation of the new power is complete."

_Besides, if he is indeed one of the Citadel Guardians, then it will take a power far greater than that of a simple demon to stop him._

Hiei returned to the elevator, with Schwarzvald in tow, and he could not help but notice that the sun had set just a little more.

Inuyasha vs. Raphael

His plan had already taken effect, even before the Seal had been activated.

Raphael could easily see that there was a darkness within Inuyasha, one that was struggling to escape the flimsy shell in which it had been imprisoned, and would consume him completely if allowed freedom. But thanks to the homage to humanity that the dog wielded as a sword, that was not possible…at least without a catalyst. And as it happened, the same device he needed was in his hand.

"Alright, Raphael, I'll start this turn by summoning Goblin Attack Force in attack mode!" Inuyasha's monster was, in actuality, a team of monsters, about ten or twenty revolting green imps armed with thick maces and protected by brass helmets and chest plates. (2300/0) "And because of United We Stand the attack of my Andros Sphinx is increased by 800 more points!" The power of the gauntlets was once again released, pumping a magic not dissimilar to steroids into the bloodstream. (4600/4100) "Next I activate this Magic card, Genetic Revolution, which allows me to sacrifice one monster on my side of the field and discard one monster from my deck. Then things get interesting, because I am then allowed to increase the attack of another monster on my side of the field by half of that of the sacrificed monster, as well as add the effect of the discarded monster to that of the same monster selected. So I'll offer up my Goblin and the Twin-Headed Beast in my deck, and although the Sphinx I targeted loses 800 attack and defense points because of the monster loss," (3800/3300), "it gains 1150 attack points and the ability to attack twice per turn!" (4950/3300) "Now, Andros Sphinx, destroy his Guardian Tyrol with your first attack!" Uttering a grand and melodious bellow of wrath, the Sphinx focused over five thousand years worth of demonic energy into its claws, which ignited in flames. After obtaining an attack advantage, the lion of Egypt leapt high into the sky, overshadowing every one of Raphael's monsters as it prepared to cleave the soldier of the hills in a gory ascension to power.

The Guardian, however, had other ideas, for from the back of its head it drew a short hand ax, sharp from lack of use, and jumped to meet its adversary, artfully escaping the deadly attack.

"You bastard! What did you do!"

"It's simple. I activated my face down card, Guardian Counter-Attack, which lets me discard a card from my hand, and in exchange negate and destroy any card that targets my Guardian." And as the card was explained, Tyrol allowed himself to dive onto the back of the Sphinx and slit its throat using the axe in question before returning to his original position on the field, soaked in what seemed to be white blood.

"Feh. I end my turn."

"Not quite. Remember, you have four monsters in your graveyard, so you lose 400 life points thanks to the effect of my Purity of the Cemetery." (3600/3000)

Damn it! It's only been the first few turns, but this guy already has me on the ropes. I just hope I can last long enough to get the Orichalcos from him.

"I'll take over from there!" Raphael's face belied his true appreciation of the next cards he had drawn. "I think its time we bring this game to the next level, dog demon. Now I activate…" 

"NOT SO FAST! I ACTIVATE THE TRAP CARD, SHIFT OF ALLEGIANCE, WHICH ALLOWS ME TO ADD ONE MAGIC CARD FROM YOUR HAND TO MY DECK THREE CARDS AWAY FROM THE TOP, SO LONG AS I HAVE LESS MONSTERS ON THE FIELD THAN YOU DO! AND THE CARD I HAVE SELECTED IS THE SEAL OF ORICHALCOS!"

Inuyasha's hand quivered as he slipped the used Trap into his graveyard and walked forward towards Raphael to claim his prize, blissfully unaware that the Guardian duelist had no intention of using the Seal to begin with. He could hear nothing, see nothing, save for his enemy and the power which was soon to be his.

"Tell me, Inuyasha, do you honestly think that you can utilize the ancient seal properly? You have no idea of the power you are about to unleash; it's a power far beyond anything you have ever experienced, and unless you know how to use it, the Seal will destroy you."

"That is the biggest load I've ever heard. Just give me the damn card."

With a strange smile upon his face, Raphael did so, and once the Magic card had been placed appropriately, the half-demon returned to his original position.

_"_As I was saying, I activate the Magic card known as Gravity Axe-Grarl, which I'll use on my Tyrol to boost his attack strength by 500 extra points!" The warlord who had slain one of Inuyasha's most destructive monsters now wielded a hefty axe that pulsed with gravitational force. (2900/1200) "Next, I'll place one card face down, and since he is the only monster in my hand and I have the Gravity Axe on the field, I can now Special Summon my Guardian Grarl from my hand to the field." As he said this, the final slot on his monster zone was filled by a bipedal dinosaur clothed in thick Gaelic garb. (2500/1000) "And now, it's time for you to experience ultimate defeat! Guardian Grarl, Guardian Kain, Guardian Tyrol, and Guardian Kay'est, attack the half-breed's life points directly and end this duel now!"

The final blitzkrieg was about to be laid, for now Grarl and Tyrol charged forward synonymously, the reptilian Guardian curling his fist whilst Tyrol attached the axe to a second chain and began to swing it about. Kain, in the meantime, had created a chaotic orb which now sent bolts of lightning upon the demon, and Kay'est called forth a torrent of heavy water.

"Not this time! I activate the Quick-Play Magic card, Scapegoat, which allows me to special summon 4 Goat Tokens to the field to protect my life points!" All four of the attacks were now intercepted by the famed, if rather abstract, Scapegoats that Joey Wheeler had become known for. However, the attacks proved to be so overwhelming that the goats were instantaneously slaughtered.

"Fine. That ought to be enough punishment for now."

"Will you just shut up! You haven't won this yet, and it'll only be a few turns until I draw the most powerful card known to man. In the meantime, I'll take over." Another card, and it seemed to be the one that would turn the duel around. "Alright, its time to put you in your place! I activate the Magic card, Evening the Odds, which reduces the attack strength of all of your monsters by an amount equal to that of the monster with the highest attack strength in my graveyard until such time as you only have one monster on the field. And because my Andros Sphinx fits that description, all of your monsters lose 3000 attack points!"

Raphael could only watch in outright horror as each one of his monsters, the monsters that had served as his only family for many years, began to sicken and deteriorate before his very eyes. At this point, they would not stand a chance against any of Inuyasha's monsters. Luckily, his Guardna was in defense mode and his Kay'est was essentially invincible, (0/2700) (1000/1800). But what of Kain, Tyrol, Grarl? They would not be as fortunate, and soon enough they were reduced to shadows of their former selves: Kain now was an ancient mage, unable to stand even with his staff, Grarl now knelt before his opposition, his former roar now a faint whimper, and Tyrol staggered about, unable to hold his weapons for fear of his heart giving out. (0/1000) (0/1200) (0/2000)

"No…NO!"

"I'm afraid your victory streak is done, Raphael. And remember, because of the Gravity Axe you can't switch the positions of your monsters, so now its time to wipe out your attack advantage! And I know the perfect monster to do so: my Berserk Gorilla!" Inuyasha's eyes flared with the light of victory as he summoned his next monster, the gruesome simian who appeared to have gone insane. (2000/1000) "And now, Berserk Gorilla, destroy his Guardian Grarl with Fist of Natural Order!"

The deluded ape stomped forward, every bulging muscle twitching with murderous ire as it prepared to slaughter the now defenseless Grarl, who tried desperately to stand and fight but was unable to do so. At the same time, the Guardian turned towards is fellows, pleading for assistance, but they could do nothing as he was lifted bodily into the sky. Now ready, the gorilla reared back its fist and aimed directly for the head of his long time enemy.

Yet the fight was not yet over.

"I activate the card I had face down, Seal of Ice, which prevents your monster from attacking or switching position so long as my Trap remains in effect!" Just as the beast was about to butcher the guard, it was instantaneously frozen solid within a block of ice, allowing the Guardian to escape unscathed. "Of course, if there is a change in overall attack power, then your monster is freed. But that won't happen for a few turns more."

And as Inuyasha's monster became incased in the ice, it finally struck him how poorly he had been doing. Raphael had not once lost control of the duel, and even with his attack advantage all but wiped out he somehow managed to pull through. To make matters worse, the Purity of the Cemetery card was slowly burning away at his life points.

There has got to be a way to take this guy down, but thanks to his plays he's got me backed into a corner! The only thing I can think of that would save me is the Seal of Orichalcos, and I haven't drawn it yet!

"Alright, my turn's done." (3100/3000) 

Raphael, acknowledging this, drew his next two cards. "I'll place one card face down to end my turn."

"Pssh. I guess that's the best you could do. My move!" Another card, and luckily for Inuyasha it was another monster. "I summon Blazing Gryphon in attack mode!" And as the name implied, the monster was indeed a massive beast with a lion's body and the head, wings, and beak of a black eagle, all of which was wreathed in ghostly fire. (1900/500) "And since it would be pointless to attack you because of that face down card, I'll end my turn." (2600/3000) 

"It's about time you caught on. I draw."

Despite the fact that his idiot of an enemy had his darkest card at his disposal, Raphael was not at all worried. Like the Pharaoh, his enemy would succumb to the card's darkness. However, unlike the Pharaoh, the demon was not only been willing to use the Seal, he had willingly gone out of his way to get it, so it was probably unnecessary to implant a piece of the Stone within him in that attack.

"I now shall activate the card I played face down, Guardian Regrouping, which allows me to shuffle three Guardians and all cards equipped into my deck. In exchange, I am allowed to draw three more cards. Next, I'll place a monster in defense mode, as well as one card face down." _Eatotsu, Dartz, it will not be long now before this bastard yields to the darkness of his heart._

"One more turn, Raphael, before I activate the card that will seal your demolition." Another drawn._ Shit! I need a magic removal card right now! Well, at least it'll help get one._ "I activate the Magic card, Demonic Torment! This card can only be activated if you and I both have at least two monsters on the field, and it allows me to draw two cards extra during my next standby phase. That's all for now. But remember, you only have one turn left before I play the clinching card." (2100/3000) 

It was as he said these words that a sudden, acute pain coursed across his chest. It was fleeting, but sharp, and he could not determine the source from whence it came. His vision became blurry, and for about five seconds he could have sworn he saw the Tetsuaiga call out to him, in Tea's voice, strangely enough, begging him not to play the card he had stolen.

_No!_

_Raphael sensed the energy as well, and he discerned the source all too clearly._

_You have yet to even play the card, and already you have been judged._"It's my move, and I know exactly what to do with it. I'll flip up the monster I had in defense mode, Ryoko Guardian." The face down monster was flipped, to reveal a second Gardna class monster, only this one had ram's horns and midnight blue skin, with much thicker armor and two medium-sized shields. (700/2400) "I shall then equip my monster with Armor of Hell-Iras, to boost the defense of my monster by 700 points!" The Magic card did not appear to be armor at first, manifesting itself as silver wisps that slowly curled around the flesh of the Gardna, until such time as the wisps solidified into plate upon plate of dark armor. (700/3100) "I shall then place two cards face down, and end my turn."

The time had come. After all of this, the torture of his life, the pointlessness of his childhood, and the loss of his first love, everything was about to fall into place. Inuyasha, knowing full well what it meant to do so, drew his next card.

Again, the pain called to him, and this time he was sure that Tea alone was calling, crying, beseeching him not to activate the Seal. Her warmth was stroking him, struggling to distract him.

But he would not listen. He was so deep in thought that he did not sense the real Tea stir.

"It's my move, and thanks to Demonic Torment I can draw two more cards. But that should be the least of your worries right now."

The DOOM Soldier showed no signs of fear. He was ready for this, and had expected it to happen.

_"Your time's up, Raphael! I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!"_

Roger's Penthouse

The Union. A name he had not heard in over seven years, and one that he had hoped never to hear for the rest of his life.

From what he understood the Union had been one of Gordon Rosewater's failed experiments with the Tomato project, in which he had created artificial children to serve as memory databanks. Granted, according to Rosewater the elder those memories had never existed anyway, but the fact remained that he had designed them…and discarded them.

Eventually one of the discarded Tomatoes got it into their head that Rosewater and Paradigm had cheated them, so that person decided to create the Union, an organization that would serve as a weapon to topple Rosewater and his blasphemous domes.

But now they were obsolete. Even if Rosewater was somehow resurrected, he had been murdered by Hiei long ago; so the question was, why were they in power again, and more importantly, why would they take control of New Paradigm?

"What do you know about it?"

Angel walked over to the table, taking a quaff from the wine bottle itself.

"Not a hell of a lot. In the power vacuum that happened when Rosewater got out of town, Vera returned after the regeneration and bought out the company. But when he came back she sold all of the Union's stock and went back into hiding so that he could take control."

It didn't make a lot of sense, seeing as Vera had loathed Rosewater enough to send a Frankenstein megadeus after his head. "Why would she do that? She got what she wanted, didn't she?"

"Again, I don't know much. What I do know is that once Hiei came into the picture she bought all of it back. I checked for some kind of connection, but it was negligible at best. The only thing that was weird about it at the time was that the two exchanged some minor funds, but that turned out to be the standard pay off for city officials."

Roger, of course, knew Vera, and understood the kind of person Hiei was, and he doubted it was anything that simple.

"Anyway, if Hiei and Vera are indeed bedfellows, then I don't think that they have a lot to do with each other to begin with. The two have high-powered establishments that can easily function of themselves, so there's no real explanation why they're working together, aside for political reasons."

"Alright, so we now have two lunatics to watch out for."

The negotiator had no idea that in actuality, there were four vying for power in New Paradigm, not including the independent psychotics, but he didn't want to hear about it.

With nothing better to do he looked out the shattered glass window, staring at the bustling, intact city and how different it was from the place he had called home for all his life. 7 years can be a long time; it can change your perspective on the world, and now he realized, in a strange way, just how ugly Paradigm had become.

A place of corruption, greed, self-indulgence, and lies. What he had once thought beautiful was now a grotesque ogre, ravenous for powers that stretched to times that far outranked the events of 47 years ago. So then why had things worked out as they had? Why was Schwarzvald, who had lambasted the original Paradigm for those selfsame qualities, unaware of them now? How had Vera, whose chief desire had been the dethroning of Rosewater and his reign of totalitarianism, suddenly the very leader of that regime? And most importantly, why had Hiei, a demon of prominent standing and influence, selected an isolated and remote hovering city to be his place of operations? There were no megadeii to speak of that had not been found already; Big Fau was crumbling away in wherever Venus had stored it. Why, then? That was the ultimate question: _why?_

For a brief moment, he felt his watch give off an unusual signal, but disregarded it.

Roger became aware of getting up, vaguely conscious of the world around him as he called Norman to clean up the gin, glass, and blood.

_Sipping on my wine, staring blankly into space as the world makes increasingly less sense, I feel like I'm in some kind of art movie where the protagonist falls in love with his life, only to find it a giant play for some anonymous audience. Is that who I am, some kind of oblivious actor hired by the gods to entertain them? Was Gordon right when he said there were no memories in our heads?_

He would love to believe that he was who he was by his actions. He would really love to believe that. But watching the paradoxes of a caricature of his life had shaken that belief.

Yes, he was Roger Smith. But the real question was, if that was the case, then who was Roger Smith? Was his idea that he was he, and not an actor, was that wrong? Had he been right from the start, and became wrong? Or was it the other way around? Maybe Schwarzvald was right, maybe Angel, maybe Yugi, or even Hiei. Maybe they were all right; maybe they were all wrong. Maybe Gordon was playing some massive game with a Creator in which they were all pawns, and all the people he had ever faced were tests in the grand scheme of things. Was this place another superstructure? Were there demons, and cursed jewels, and golden artifacts with Pharaohs in them? Was Inuyasha a demon, or some freak wearing pretend dog ears? Did the other Bigs get destroyed, or were they still around in the city above the world? Did Yugi Mouto and his reputation exist? Did Beck? Did Hiei? Was the game of Duel Monsters a strange sort of idea that he had devised subconsciously to while away the hours? Did the Union exist? Was Gordon Rosewater a hallucination? Was Gordon a Tomato himself and unaware of it? Was he just a senile old man who had no idea what he was doing with the world? Was Dorothy a memory, and Angel an android? Was he himself real, or an invention that was the only constant throughout all of this?

In other words, he knew that he was Roger Smith. What he did not know was what that meant.

"Roger…Roger…WAKE UP, YOU HORSE'S ASS!"

Shaken out of his catatonic state by the screech of a fallen angel, he turned to that disgraced being and gave her a winning smile, not so much to mask his emotions as it was to shut her up. However, he would be sure to return to that later on.

"Finally, it's like you were dreaming or something."

"Oh? Did I have the same look on your face every time you dream of me?"

"Shut up. Anyway, it seems we have a bigger problem than an attack by Alan on our hands. It turns out that…well, I think you'd better see for yourself."

The traversal to Alan was not a particularly strenuous one, but when Roger walked up to him it seemed that even that journey had been a monumental waste of time. After all, the body was just the same as when it had been left behind; he could see no evidence of foul play or outside involvement. He looked relatively normal, for a cyborg at least.

Until he saw what Angel was referring to: an exposed and empty memory drive that was usually reserved for androids, casually hidden beneath his black hat.

Norman filtered through the room for a moment or so, said something indistinct, and walked out. No one noticed, or cared, for that matter.

Roger's eyes had widened in astonishment by that point, as he realized that the man he had been fighting was not the real Alan Gabriel, but some kind of puppet.

"Was there anything to indicate exactly what we're dealing with?"

"Just some random memory fragments that my device picked up, probably from the original's artificial brain. It seems it was just some kind of random attack, but there's no doubt in my mind that whoever built this thing had some kind of recollection to do it."

Memories? So could Gordon have been wrong?"So is it a Union thing, or what?"

"Probably. And if that's the case, then she will be involved in this too."

Another dejected sigh emerged from his lips. Five thirty in the afternoon, two Alan Gabriels running around Paradigm, a three-eyed demon working with a deranged burn patient of a reporter and a mannish fanatic, memories in human form, and in the middle of everything a multicolored-hair high school student with a magic necklace. He'd had better days.

And soon the day would get worse for him.

"Master Roger? It seems that you have a visitor."

The two had been so engrossed in their reflections on memories, the Union, and androids that they had not perceived the entrance of two others: Norman, and a peculiar kid of about sixteen. His hair was unique in that it was a bright seafoam sort of color, with muddy blue eyes. Dressed in a salmon dress shirt with a black zigzag pattern running horizontally across the chest and blanched loafers, his only true mark of competence was a gleaming white Duel Gauntlet.

_And Dorothy says I have no fashion sense._

"Don't worry, negotiator. I've gone through all the proper channels to get here, and I have no intentions of harming you."

"Can this wait?"

"Not really. You see, I've recently come into acqusition of some memories in which you'd be interested, and all you have to do to get them is to beat me in a duel."

"Why should I have to duel you for…memories?"

He did not believe it. An outsider, untouched by Paradigm…

"I've heard you're one of the best in the tournament, and besides, I might have another reason."

He didn't want to waste his time, but what choice did he have?

"Ok, let's get this over with. By the way, who the hell are you?"

The duelist gave Roger a warped little grin. "Why, you can call me Espa Roba." (4000/4000)

Kagome vs. Yami no Marik

The electricity in the room was enough to make the hair of the dead stand up.

Emotions had been running high ever since the tournament's commencement; tempers raged, passions boiled, addictions rose and fell like tides, and throughout there was woven a strange sense that when all was said and done the ultimate love would burst forth through the blackened forests. How it would happen, where it would happen, why it would happen, or even what it would overcome was never fully understood. However, what was known was that eventually, this love would overcome any obstacle and traverse any expanse to become whole, and with the haste to jump into bed or without, it would stay pure and absolute for all of eternity.

And the second Yami and Kagome locked eyes, they knew that such a love had arisen.

It was impossible to deny any longer. There were no words to describe the feeling the two shared, for none could do it justice; even the sweethearts themselves could not describe the awe-inspiring sensation burning within their souls. To them, the feelings spoke for themselves, and without breathing a word they knew what love truly was.

"Yami." Her whisper barely floated across the distance that stood between the two.

One utterance said all the words Kagome had been afraid to say herself, and the Pharaoh recognized this when his heart skipped five beats consecutively. He was entranced, once again able only to see her, but this time her eyes were not full of hate. Rather, her eyes brimmed with tears of regret, sorrow, and a shade of happiness. And with that one glance all thoughts of Kikyo, Kachikachi, and Hiei were dispelled from his mind. In fact, he did not even care if Yami no Marik was present to witness the momentous occasion.

It was as he said before. At this point, all he cared about was Kagome.

She stepped forward slightly, uncertain of what action to take or whether the crime against nature the spirit had called upon would devour her. Yami mimicked.

Her upper lip trembled as some stray tears traced their way down her cheek and onto her once clean shirt, while her fingers twitched enough so that her current hand slipped downwards. Every emotion Kagome had had correlating to Yami was so close to the surface that it could not be held back for too much longer, but for fear of rejection she did not dare open the lock on her heart.

"Kagome."

The word, once said, became a word no longer, and with one look in his eyes she knew that the word was now truth, a truth higher than anything that scorched journalists and crazed Atlanteans could comprehend. What had once been "poetic crap" had become a beautiful message of heart and light, and she knew now what she should have known from the start. The lock cracked instantly, and seventeen years worth of pent-up ardor were released in one grand gesture.

Uncaring of the hellish beast hovering above, uncaring of Yami no Marik or the duel, Kagome hurled herself forward, and into the arms of the Pharaoh, sobbing with wild abandon in his chest as her heart and soul became one with his. Everything that had happened, from her falling into the well up to her violent capture by the Black Shadow, it was all being vented through her tears. And Yami accepted every drop.

Her knees buckled enough so that she and him were staring directly into each other's eyes, and years later they would describe it as the single most amorous moment in their lives.

"Oh, Yami, I'm so sorry. I should never have said those things; I should have known…"

"It's alright. I promise you I'll never touch another woman ever again. You're the only one I need."

Kagome giggled, for whatever reason.

"You know what? You talk too much."

Atem knew what she meant, and had to agree.

Darkness and light became a single entity as the two leaned inwards, unable to look anywhere else. Kagome licked her lips ever so slightly, tempting the Pharaoh, drawing him all the closer. Yami, in response, allowed his hands to curl about Kagome's hips, pulling her in as well.

And then it happened. Soon enough they were upon each other, Kagome practically screaming in Yami's mouth as he gently slid his tongue around with her own, while tenderly massaging her hips using the hands that were already there. Every nerve and muscle came alive as her body's warmth steadily increased, and with no inhibitions she ran her own hands through his hair. Tears mixed with saliva and ran down their necks, a path which Yami then followed as he kissed and licked her neck. This also gave him a vantage point to smell her fragrant hair, but unlike Kagome his hands were busy working their way up her waist. And then his eyes began to take her in, every curve, every perfection.

And that was when he noticed how her hair had been done.

"I see you noticed my hairdo. What do you think?"

In response, the Pharaoh continued to move upwards, but slowly, each finger now rhythmically drumming upon her. And once he neared her chest, her eyes went wide, her skin became a bright pink, and she let loose a sharp gasp whilst her mouth opened wide. Seeing how much this affected her, he decided to…linger there, for a moment or so, brushing slightly in the area. Now her face became red, her eyes watered in pleasure, and she would have collapsed to her very knees had she not known that pleasure would stop if she did. But she did not want him unsatisfied, so she then wrapped her arms tightly, pressing the two ever closer together, and the hands closer to her aching body as well. She gave out an excited yelp; obviously she was satisfied.

And that was when he undid her hair, allowing the silky black locks to tumble down around her. Now she looked pure, and ironically enough, sensual at the same time.

"Yami, have you ever taken a girl's virginity? Because if you want to, you can have mine."

"I want to. But not yet; I want to wait until you're ready." She was like a delicious strawberry; if she was not plucked at exactly the right time, it would not be as luscious.

Suddenly her face was one of relief. "Oh thank God. I wasn't sure if you'd be one of those pigs that just want to get a girl into bed. However," and at this point she separated from him and let the back of her hand stroke his face, "that doesn't mean I'll be off-limits forever. If I become a woman, you'll be the one to do it." Her face now became almost seductive, and her eyes glistened in happiness.

"Whatever happens, know that I'll be there for you through everything. We all will, and if you ever need a crying shoulder, you can count on me to be there."

"Thanks."

Kagome had been so deep in her wild passions that she failed to notice the fact that blood was all over the Pharaoh's clothes, most of it coming from a massive wound near his stomach. She blanched, and stepped back. "Yami, what happened to you!"

"It's alright. I just got injured in a Shadow Game, that's all."

"No, it's not alright! You could've gotten killed if that's what the Shadow Game was like! Come on, we need to get you patched up!"

"Kagome, don't worry about it. This hasn't been the first time that something like this has happened. Besides, the Puzzle affords me certain regenerative powers as far as Shadow Games are concerned."

"It's not that. It's just… Whenever Inuyasha got injured he'd always just get up and fight again without any medical attention, and I was always afraid it would kill him. I just don't want to see something like that happen to you." Her arms now clamped onto him as she stared deep into his eyes. "Yami, I love you too much to see you get hurt. So you have to promise me that you'll take it easy for a little while, ok? The tournament can wait a little bit."

Now that he thought about, the duel he had just undergone and the subsequent emotional damage had worn him out, so he decided to comply with her request. "If it makes you feel better, then I'll do it. I'm probably going to need the strength to face whoever else Hiei has in store for me."

But it was as Yami decided to lean against the floor and witness the remainder of the duel that he remembered-and saw-who Kagome was to do battle with.

"Well, if it isn't the Pharaoh."

Yami now stood to his full height, and stared into the darkened eyes of the spirit that had been created from the rage and blood of one of his own servants. He had prayed constantly that the demon would not resurrect itself in some manner, but the Shadow Realm, like death, was not as binding to beings of some great power.

"I might have known that you would return, spirit; after all, a darkness like yours does not rest easily until its destruction is absolute. Or maybe you're just not taking the hint."

"What could you possibly do to me, Yami? Kagome is right; the battle has weakened you, and it would serve your frail little mind to rest. Of course, once everything falls into place you'll have an eternity to rest, though I doubt you'll be left alone long enough to get it."

The bastard, thought Yami.

"However, in the meantime I'll just have to crush your girlfriend in a duel, and trap her soul in the darkness forever." And now Yami was enraged beyond belief, and stood to call forth what remained of his Shadow Magic. There was a certain line that was never crossed, and that was to attack his friends and loved ones.

However, that chance was not to be utilized on this day.

"Yami, don't. This battle is mine to fight, not yours."

"Listen, you don't know what you're getting yourself into! This guy is absolutely insane, and his deck is almost invincible!"

"Hey, you trained me, so I can't lose."

Yami, seeing the confidence, and heart, which he saw in Yugi, decided to silence his attack. "Very well. Just believe in the cards and you should be fine."

"Already done, baby." Turning back to the spirit, she took a stronger grip on her hand. "Ok, it's your move, psycho."

"Very well." His eyes glistened with madness as he looked at the card he had drawn. "I happen to think I have been rather merciful with you, miko, but that time is over. For now I shall activate the card known as Infernal Logistics, which allows me to draw cards equal to the number of Demon-type monsters I have in my Graveyard, so long as I decline any of my Demon monsters an attack this turn. Next, I'll play one of the four cards I drew, Grave Sacrifice! This is an interesting card in that it allows me to remove one monster from both of our Graveyards and use it as tribute for an even stronger beast!"

_No! Could he possibly mean…_

"Relax, Pharaoh. I haven't drawn the card you're thinking of. I had something a little more interesting in mind, for now I sacrifice from our respective Graveyards the Masked Beast Death Guardius and Yutai to summon the Composite Beast Gazetto to the field!"

The monsters slated for blood offering appeared only briefly, for soon their bodies were ripped to pieces by a second demonic curse. And once the skulls and chests of the monsters had been split open, they fused together to create another crime against nature. The next monster, like Naraku, seemed to be a demon made up of the rejected components of the Great Beast Gazetto and some unknown wolf demon. (5200/0) "And because I drew it using a card-drawing card, I can activate the Lucifer's Steroid Equip Magic card, which shall increase the attack of a Level 7 Demon monster by the attack strength of one monster on my side of the field, plus an extra 500 points." The next card played was a peculiar machine, what appeared to be a large black iron mechanism pumping violet chemicals into the monster's blood. (7600/0) "That ought to be enough. Your move, Higurashi."

"Ok by me." _Yami, you gave me these cards out of love and redemption, calling me an angel. Well, I can't promise to be that perfect, but if you'll be my guardian angel, then I'll be yours. "_I'll start by sacrificing my Yunay to summon the monster known as Yudrae-Judge of Mind, in attack mode!" The next angel that appeared in Yunay's place seemed to have a more scholarly air to him, seeing as he was a frail and bookish auburn haired angel with a thick grey robe and parchment colored wings. In one hand was held a book of theology, and in his other was a short pearl staff with a blue cross atop it. (2400/1500) "And by his effect, I'll remove a Magic card from my deck from the game until my next Standby Phase, when it'll return to my hand." Taking a quick skim through the text, Yudrae whispered something in Latin to the cross, thus allowing it to transfer the Magic card. "I'll then place one card face down to end the turn. And thanks to Yudrae I can shuffle my hand into my deck and draw three new cards." Another Latin incantation was spoken, and Kagome drew as stated.

"Very good, my dear." Yami no Marik drew his next card. "But tell me, what shall you do when my next attack rends your life points? Now I summon Drillago in attack mode, followed by one card face down. That will be enough for now." The peculiar drill mech and the card appeared on the field. (1600/1100)

_Strange. He could've attacked me and ended the duel if he'd wanted to, so why didn't he? Was he afraid to attack with a face down card on my field…or is he waiting for something?_

Yami was unsure as well; this was not the Yami no Marik he had last dueled. No, he seemed less prone to attack in later stages, so something else must have been waiting in the wings. 

"You'll regret not attacking. It's my move, and now I can use the Magic card I removed from play last turn._ I activate The Sanctuary in the Sky!_"

An ironic sort of Field Magic card, given the circumstances, but by no means a weak one. For behind the priestess was steadily emerging from the depths of the Shadow Realm a titanic hovering asylum, hewn from white marble and seemingly of Greek origin. And despite the state of disrepair it was in, the sanctuary appeared to be of some divine importance, for once it had ascended to a certain point it shined as would the sun, and the two angels leapt up to it. "Because of the effect of my Sky Sanctuary, any battle damage done to me when an Angel is destroyed is negated, so as long as I have a monster on the field you'll have no way of winning this duel. But that's not the end of it. Next, I'll place a monster in defense mode, and one card face down. Now, Yudrae, destroy his Gemini Elf with Holy Knowledge!" Upon the command, Yudrae lifted his staff unto the sky and sent a rain of white sparks upon the field, screaming something in Latin as he did so.

"I'm afraid you will not get the chance! I activate Dark Wall of Air, which prevents my monsters from being attacked this turn!" Just as Yudrae's attack was about to strike, a blast of dark air roared up to defend his monster.

_Man, this guy is good. I can see why Yami was frightened._ "Ok, I end my turn."

"Excellent. And now, the time has come to end this duel once and for all." Yami no Marik now drew his next card.

For some reason, Yami and Kagome felt a sharp pain in their hearts once the card was drawn. It was as though a dark and yet sacred presence had been called forth. The miko did not recognize it…

…but the Pharaoh did. And for this he leapt to his feet again.

"KAGOME, YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THERE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE UP AGAINST!"

"What? Yami, I told you I can handle him! Whatever he plays, you'll have to believe I can stop him. Just trust me on this."

"But…"

"Don't worry about me. As long as I have my Sanctuary I can't be beaten, and besides, you're here to cheer me on. You're all I need to win this, and with that support, it would take an act of God to defeat me."

But it was then that she noticed the dark, twisted look on the enemy's face, and the fact that all three of his monsters were slowly being absorbed into a ray of light, one that was rather unusual for the Shadow Realm.

"You're correct, actually. Only an act of the gods shall topple your little strategy, and I hold such a power in my very hand." Soon the monsters were absorbed completely, and the light grew enough so that it almost was an affront to the sun. "When you saw Yami defeat the wind witch Kagura, you bore witness to the power of one of three celestial beasts known as the Egyptian God Monsters, each with powers so great that the three combined almost inflicted Armageddon onto this world. The wyrm you saw was Slifer the Sky Dragon, embodiment of good and evil. The second, Obelisk the Tormentor, is held by Seto Kaiba, and is the embodiment of light and darkness." Quietly he slipped a monster onto the field. "But there is a third, a grandiose dragon of such power and ascendancy that it controls the powers of Heaven and Earth. It is the deadliest monster in the entire game, with powers to conquer the gods…and I am about to call it forth."

In the place of Yami no Marik's three monsters now was summoned a golden orb, which seemed to have some kind of feather design upon it. And Kagome could feel an primordial force emanating from its depths. Every second that passed the energy grew stronger, and the light was directly proportional to that strength. Already she was quaking in fear; what great beast of damnation could erupt from such a prison?

Yami knew. And he hoped that his beloved could conquer it.

"Unlike Slifer and Obelisk, the monster I have summoned requires some sort of proof that the summoner is worthy of controlling it, a mark of nobility that very few possess. That mark is the capability to read Hieratic, the ancient text of Egyptian royalty, a skill which I believe several in this tournament possess; however, it is I that shall use that skill to reawaken the greatest monster that ever existed."

Staring directly at the golden orb, Yami no Marik crossed his arms across his chest, and looked directly at the orb. His eyes were cold, business-like, as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry. Unlock thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight."

The ancient chamber reacted by emitting a far greater luminosity. Kagome shielded her eyes, and Yami looked on in terror, waiting to see what would befall his most cherished.

"Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe."

At this point, the containment began to shift itself; slowly but surely the panels separated themselves, to unveil a light matched only by God himself.

And now the earth quaked, stars fell from the sky, children screamed, and whole civilizations trembled as an ultimate beast arose from its confinement.

_"Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win. Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name…WINGED DRAGON OF RA!"_

Slums of New Paradigm

"So how much ya gonna pay for it? Normally, I'd sell for 500 large, but seeing as ya mean business, I'll give it to ya for 250. Insider deal."

There was much to be found-and lost, for that matter-in the Glasseye district of New Paradigm. If there was a sin, indulgence, or illegitimacy, one could safely bet that the ramshackle concrete and brick houses and unsanitary sidewalks of the area would have it in stock. There were illegal drugs, propaganda, prostitution, and, very rarely, history textbooks.

But the real money was made on the top floor of 82, Rosco Avenue, an old grocery store that had gone bankrupt when its owner was shot in a pseudo-Mafia raid. It was here that the hard controlled substances were sold, and even this was a cover-up; in reality, top-of-the-line military surplus, strictly controlled government secrets, and some very rare Duel Monsters cards were sold in these markets.

The only market here not controlled by the Black Shadow sold the most valuable items of all: memories. Of course, these particular memoirs were not of particular interest to Schwarzvald or Vera, but the very idea of memories generally sent people into a buying frenzy.

It was a craze that Akuren had not yet begun to understand, hence his bewilderment of the relevance of what he was doing.

"It seems a little exorbitant, for memories that is." To Akuren, this was putting it mildly.

The dealer now looked at the ninja as though he had suddenly grown two extra heads. "You haven't been around here much, have you? No one likes to admit it, but a lotta folks still come lookin' for stuff about 47 years ago. We sell 'em some random memories and send 'em on their merry way."

"But you do have several my superiors would be interested in."

"Yes indeedy. We have memories about chemicals, valuables, and some small-scale weapons. Nothing too major, like how to pilot a 'deus."

"No matter. Did you gain the documentation I asked for?"

Akuren could smell the fear in the dealer as he shuffled through his documents, looking for some kind of paper that he hadn't used for inhalation. The day had been a tiring one, and his temper was starting to wear thin.

After about a minute of searching, the man came up with what had been requested, a thin dossier that looked as though it had come from a burnt-out law office. "Here ya go, everything you need on legal precedents before the Event. Now, will that be cash, or check?"

The assassin bodyguard, however, was not an imbecile, and began to leaf through the papers, slowly scanning each piece of information carefully.

"Aw, c'mon man, don't you trust me?"

Akuren paused for a moment, and looked at the man with murder in his eyes.

"I don't even trust my own brother, you dolt. And you have lied to me."

The aura around the demon changed, from a dark green of internal shadow to a blood red one of outright wrath. "These are not legal precedents. This is the ledger of a crack housefrom four years ago."

"What? No way, man! I'm legit when it comes to dealing with the Shadow!"

"Are you? Or are you simply a pathetic con artist who believes every wealthy client is too much of an idiot to look at their product carefully?"

Akuren now walked over to one side of the room, carefully watching the hands of the dealer to make certain he didn't reach for a gun. He had dealt with punks like him on a regular basis, and knew that they were generally well armed.

After a moment, he leaned up against a shaded wall, pulling out one of his longer daggers. "Tell me, mortal, do you know exactly what I am?"

"Well, I'm guessing you're some kinda cracked up looney…"

"Not even close." He leaned closer to the wall, making sure every part of his body was near the shadows in some way. "Officially, I am considered a demon, but that is only half of it. Not only am I a Quest-class demon, I am also what is referred to as kokuei irekaeru, or in your language…"

And without warning he seemed to simply glide into the wall.

"…a shadowshifter."

As Akuren had expected, the charlatan drew out a heavy sub-machine gun and began spraying the walls with reckless abandon, his eyes filled with panic as he struggled to kill his demonic attacker. "Come on, you bastard, show yourself and fight like a man!"

"No need. The way I see it, you're already dead."

"WHAT! I'LL BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT, YOU PSYCHOBITCH!"

But the ninja was right. So busy was he that he did not notice Akuren sneak up behind him.

"Remember this, my youthful victim. As long as shadows exist in this world, I cannot die."

With a single flick of the wrist, he now held his enemy by the throat. And violent anger was now replaced by pathetic subservience.

"P…p…please spare me. I'll do anything! I'll give you real memories! I'll sell out some crime bossess! I can pick locks! Please just let me…"

His pitiable blubbering was instantly cut short when Akuren drew his blade across the jugular.

_Funny how the world of a thief is cut short by that of a true criminal._

He had done what needed to be done, and now that the memory market was officially closed, Hiei's bodyguard looked around the shabby office converted from an old chicken coop. Although it was painful to do so, Akuren cracked a grin at the fresh blood and rotting wood, and while he could maintain that style of emotion he picked up what he had been really looking for: a box of photographs from local security cameras. Behind every lie was another; the man had been illegally trafficking information on attack targets, and the Black Shadow would profit from this. 

The world had come full circle once again: life, maturity, and death. And 'twas Akuren that would guide a good many more to the last leg of that journey.

Kaiba and Botan vs. Tsubaki and Pegasus

It had been far too long since Kaiba had last summoned his Egyptian God Card in a real duel, and he had thus forgotten the exhilarating sensation of supremacy that often came with using such an omnipotent card. Every time he slammed it onto the field, it was as though he was calling out to the Universe, demanding that it bow to him and recognize his capabilities as a duelist.

But as the three monsters were absorbed into the heavens to become the Dark Collossus, he was also watching Botan, hoping that his game breaking move would impress her. Lately, he seemed to be basing most of his decisions on protecting her, ensuring her safety, making sure she was ok.

And if the titanic god of destruction that had now descended onto the field couldn't protect her, then what could? (4000/4000)

"Hm. Most impressive, Kaiba-boy. But what can your monster do? It is immune to Traps, but not the effects of Magic cards on our monsters, and Tsubaki here has the ultimate defense, a monster that cannot be destroyed by any attack or target effect. So you can see the futility of your efforts here."

"I'm aware of Rukuranba, and that's why I'm going to end my turn by placing one card face down." _Alright, as it stands the best chance I have of defeating these clowns is to get two more monsters on the field. Summoning Obelisk bought us some time, but will it be enough?_

"Enough talk, Kaiba, and back to the duel! I draw!"_ Not bad. Summoning such a powerful monster that quickly in the duel is an impressive feat indeed. Unfortunately for you, I have a trick that's slightly more impressive._ "Now I summon Vulcan the Cursed in attack mode!" Tsubaki's new monster was a far cry different than the others she had played, as it was a sorcerer clothed in bright red, allowing tiny jets of fire to dance upon his fingertips. (1000/500) "But like all my weaker monsters, he shall transform himself into an even greater beast to the field, for now I shall warp him into Vulcan the Transformed, which I'll also summon in attack mode!" Just as quickly as he was summoned, the mage clamped his head as the flames that he had once controlled so naturally now leapt forward and ignited his clothes. The conflagration quickly spread in such a manner as to consume Vulcan's entire body, and through the blaze one could see the flesh burning away in charred and bloody slabs. But instead of muscle, there was a thick layer of scarlet scales that ignited into fire upon contact. Hands gave way to a lizard's claw, with three razor sharp talons that shined red hot by the temperature. The abdomen, arms, and legs all became those of a reptile, all around coated with the burning scales seen earlier, and a barbed scarlet tail burst out as well. And as for the head of the monstrosity, it was slender, not unlike that of a Komodo dragon's, with black eyes and thin, syringe-like teeth. (2500/1000) "As it happens, Vulcan has a very unusual special ability, which allows me to discard any amount of cards from the top of my deck, and for each one I inflict 100 points of direct damage to your life points. So in this case I'll discard twenty cards to inflict 2000 points of damage!" Tsubaki, in her turn, slid all twenty cards into the graveyard, whereupon, Vulcan shook forty of its scales off the body and systematically hurled them at Botan and Kaiba, each one causing them a great, searing pain. (2000/2000) (50/3000)

But as impressive a move as it was, Kaiba saw instantly that it had forced the priestess into a corner._ Losing twenty cards from the deck is a serious drawback, and it might end up costing her the duel._

"But don't think me an idiot, love birds, for now I activate Recovery of Supplies! When this card is activated, any cards I have discarded during this turn are restored to wherever they were discarded from, meaning that I now regain all of my cards. And that's not all I have planned. Next, I shall place one card face down, and attack Botan's Sovite! Vulcan, destroy her monster with Infernal Spark!" Vulcan, in a move quite unlike his previous one, now devoured one of his scales and sent a stream of embers upon the Valkyrie.

And much to Tsubaki's chagrin, the reaper clucked in disapproval.

"Sorry, but I don't think so! I activate Aurora Veil, which will negate your attack and allow me to add one Valkyrie from my deck to my hand." Once the sparks were almost within range, a delicate wall of multicolored light emerged from Sovite's sword, and deflected the attack. Once this had been accomplished, the aurora converted into a ball of bluish radiance and was absorbed by the deck.

Tsubaki was now growing aggravated. Kaiba and the reaper were besting them at every turn; even with half of their life points they exceeded the total held by her and Pegasus._ Hopefully the fruitcake can draw out something useful…_

"Very well. I end my turn."

With a peculiar sort of smirk, Botan drew out her next card.

"Well, Tsubaki, I hope you didn't intend to win this match with your so called "ultimate defense", for now I can demolish it using Book of Moon to switch your Rukuranba into face down defense mode!" And as claimed, the spirit king was flipped face down, and as such lost the protection of the Heart of Clear Water. "But if you think that's all I have in mind, you're wrong. Next I'll activate the Magic card, Goddess of Urd's Altar!" Botan's next move appeared to be to summon a young woman to the field, but in reality she was almost as old as time itself. Dressed in an unadorned pink robe, a neckband, and a forehead decoration, she stood about five feet tall, had cold brown eyes, and was in possession of corn blonde hair tied back. "This unique card has an effect which allows me to guess what face down card you have on the field, and if I guess right it is removed from play. So in this case I'll select the Spirit King Rukuranba I just flipped down." Urd, seeing that her selection had been correct, sent a beam of light upon the face down monster, instantly vaporizing it. "For my next move, I'll activate the Magic card, Suspension Bridge of Hero, which I'll use to increase Sovite's attack power by 500 for each monster removed from play." Sovite was now consumed by a massive rainbow, from which emerged the Black Tyranno and Rukuranba to empower her. (2600/1600) "Finally, I shall summon Valkyrie Hildr to the field in attack mode!" Botan's final monster for the turn was a slender Valkyrie with cherry colored armor, a closed-cropped head of turquoise hair, bright pink eyes, and a staff with a slender blade upon it. (1900/1700) "Finally, I shall play the Magic card, Tribute to the Doomed, with which I shall wipe out your last line of defense, Vulcan!" The embalming materials of the Magic card, upon the discard being paid, now swallowed up the fire lizard. "Now, all three Valkyries, attack Tsubaki directly!"

The trio of Norse handmaidens charged ahead, weapons drawn to defeat the narcissistic priestess, and almost reached her. Tsubaki, however, had other plans.

"I activate the Trap card I played face down last turn, Negate Attack, which negates any and all attacks leveled against me in this turn."

"Ok. I'll just end my turn with the activation of the Field Magic card, Valhalla, which boosts the attack power of all Valkyries on the field by 500 points, along with a few other effects I'll go into later." The final card of the turn that appeared directly behind the reaper, as a giant Nordic hall hewn of gilded mahogany and detailed with a number of images correlating to the mythology it embodied, from the slaughter of Ymir to the prophecy of the World Tree. (3650/2300) (3100/1600) (2400/1700) "That'll do, won't it, Seto?"

"Couldn't have done it better myself. And don't worry; I've got your back."

_Like always._

"My move again, Kaiba-boy, and because I can finally get a standby phase in edgewise my Toon Vampire Lord returns to the field." As per the Toon's effect, the grotesque undead monster was reborn, except this time he leapt forward in a spray of ridiculously disproportionate skulls and ribcages. "Of course, that's not all I intend to do. I'll continue with the card known as Toon Index, which allows me to add one card with Toon in its name from my deck to my hand." _Yes, this duel has been fun, Kaiba, but there is a time for fun…and a time for wrath. _"Next, I'll use the power of Toon World to special summon Toon Cannon Soldier, Toon Masked Sorceror, and Toon Dark Elf to the field in attack mode!" In order, a distorted form of the artillery machine, the cloaked mage, and what seemed to be a corrupted Mystical Elf with black robes and dark blue hair appeared. (1400/1300) (900/1400) (2000/800) "Now, I'll offer up the Sorceror and the Cannon Soldier to summon a card you ought to find very familiar, the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon!"

He did recall the thing Pegasus was talking about, and it was not exactly a fond memory. That twisted caricature of the real Blue Eyes White Dragon was not just a crime against nature, it was a blasphemy against God. So often had it stood in his way that he banned it from any tournaments in which his hand was involved.

So it should not come as a surprise that once the grossly inaccurate copy of the dragon of light was called forward, a few not so pleasant flashbacks came to mind. Mokuba, Amelda, even his clash with Anubis.

All brought back by this vile act of devilry. (3000/2500)

Botan noticed it as well, took note of Kaiba's nauseous expression, how it was all he could do not to vomit. And she knew very well why, having been somewhat involved in the lives of the world for so long.

But she also knew he would have to hold it together, a skill he possessed in great quantity under pressure…in most cases.

"Seto, listen to me. Whatever effect that thing has on you, you've got to shake it off, or you'll lose your head."

_Funny. Never thought a cute ferrywoman would be giving me advice on how to stay cool_."Pay it no mind, Botan. Besides, his toons will be useless once I activate my face down card. Go, Des Counterblow! So long as this card remains face up on the field, any attack mounted directly on our life points will result in that monster being destroyed before it can land the attack. Sorry, Pegasus, it looks like your little plan backfired."

"Not really. I'll place one card face down to end my turn."

"Fine, and now the time has arrived to end this duel! I draw!" But Kaiba knew exactly what had to be done. "I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode, followed by the activation of my Change of Heart card, which I'll use to control Pegasus's Toon Dragon!" The two monsters, Pegasus's beast and a bulky titanium armored automaton with a hovering sphere on the bottom and two high-powered artillery cannons, (1800/1500) appeared on Kaiba's field. "And now, Obelisk the Tormentor, I offer up to thee my X-Head Cannon and the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, so that you may assimilate their power within thyself and demolish our opponents!"

And as Obelisk clamped onto the monsters and drew from them their life force, Botan saw a side of Seto that had been hidden from her so far, the brutal, ruthless mercenary that would crush all that stood before him in a single blaze of power. His eyes, alight with the arrogance of certain glory, burned as Obelisk's hands now did. But was she disgusted? No.

In fact she found it very sexy.

"OBELISK, GOD'S HAND CRUSHER!"

The God of Obelisk, battling no longer for a perverted monk but a true soldier of destiny, reared back its great fist, having completely absorbed the power of the tributes. With the powers of the gods behind it, Obelisk charged forward, solely focused on Tsubaki and Pegasus; in one swift blow they would be demolished. But as they were about to be struck down by the fury of the powers that could not even be stopped by the God of Atlantis…

"I activate the card I played face down, Toon Reversal, which allows me to negate any attack or effect levied against us during this turn, so long as Toon World is on the field." As claimed, a sheet of paper now hurled itself from the Toon World bindings to intercept the attack. "But the worst is yet to come. Because the effect was initiated by a monster, I am allowed to special summon the Toon version of the monster in question."

For only a moment, Kaiba, Botan, and Tsubaki stared blankly at Pegasus, wondering exactly what this meant.

Until such time as it came to Kaiba. And so horrified was he by the reality of the situation that he stepped back, watching Pegasus to see if he was joking.

"You heard it here first, folks! I sacrifice my last monsters, by the effect of Toon Reversal, to summon_…TOON OBELISK THE TORMENTOR!"_

To Be Continued

Another record update.

Anyway, next chap starts the duel between Joey and Jin, as well as continue that of Inuyasha and Raphael, Kagome and Y. Marik, and the tag team. So to balance out the duels we have the intros of two more key players, along with more of Schwarzvald's rants, and Dartz strikes a deal with one of the members of the Council.

Ok, the Valkyries that aren't in the anime belong to Time Mage, the Toon Gods derive from an idea by The White Mage, basically every Judge monster and correlating card is Time Mages, as is Guardian Counterblow, the Vulcans are Helldragons, any other Toons not seen in the anime or previously mentioned are mine. If anyone finds any inaccuracies in this, let me know.


	40. The Reunion of Lost Lovers and the Demon...

Disclaimer: Not a lot to say, I guess.

Ok, in our last chapter Pegasus managed to summon one of his most blasphemous creatures, Toon Obelisk the Tormentor, as well as commencing the return of the dreaded Winged Dragon of Ra. The Union and its leader were also introduced, as Akuren handled his assignment and Inuyasha played the Seal of Orichalcos. Finally, Roger was challenged by Espa Roba.

In chapter 40, the duels of Joey vs. Jin, Kagome vs. Y. Marik, Kaiba and Botan vs. Tsubaki and Pegasus, and Inuyasha vs. Raphael continue. Hiei's latest, and most controversial, servant is introduced, as is a new enemy of Hiei. Schwarzvald continues his hunt for knowledge, and Dartz continues his puppetry.

FYI: Roll of Destiny, used by Yoko earlier, is a Trap version of Treasure of Destiny. (Error on my part, so bear in mind I just made a Trap form of an anime card. Also, Roll of Destiny is another name for Treasure of Destiny, so bear with me).

And if I refer to Rurouni Kenshin, well, that I can explain on request.

Chapter 39: The Reunion of Lost Lovers and the Demonic Upheaval, Part 2

Joey vs. Jin

"Ok, I'll start dis up!"

Joey drew the first card, and could easily see that he was in a good position. "I'll start by placin' one card face down, and then I'll summon Alligator Sword in attack mode!" Joey's first monster was exactly what the name implied, a brutish soldier that was, in all fairness, a walking alligator with lizard skin armor and a scimitar with a crocodilian foot for a hilt. (1500/1200) "Back to you."

"Thank ya very much, Wheeler. Now it's time that I show ya a little down home brutality!" Jin happily drew his next card, and looked over his own set. "Ok, I'll start us off by placing two cards face down, along with a monster in face down defense mode. Next, I'll play the Continuous Magic card, Lightspeed Summoning, which allows me to make another summon each turn, so long as I pay 500 life points for that opportunity. So in this case, I'll summon my Slate Warrior using that effect." (4000/3500) Jin's next monster, the powerful blue demon with brass armor, appeared on the field. (1900/400) "Ok, Slate Warrior, use Tornado Fist to slap the stuffin' outta his croc!" In an attack method not quite unlike that used by Jin himself, the Slate Warrior leapt into the air and began to spin his arm about rapidly. Having done this, the demon shifted his body weight so that he plummeted directly towards the Alligator Sword. Unable to defend himself with his blade, the soldier of the swamps was defeated, his neck twisting at an odd angle as he fell to the ground. (3600/3500) "That'll do for now."

"Not so fast! Reveal face down card, Michizure! When one of my monsters is sent to the graveyard, I'm automatically allowed to destroy any of your monsters! So say bye to Slate Warrior!" Just as the demon's feet alighted upon the ground, a pair of rotted claws, likely belonging to the alligator, burst from the ground and clamped onto the legs, dragging the demon into Hell.

"Ah, so yer not a commun bumpkin. Ok, take it."

"I'll take it gladly!" Another card drawn, and it was one that would serve Joey well. "I summon Marauding Captain to da field in attack mode, and because of his special effect I can summon another monster, in this case D.D. Assailant in attack mode!" The captain, once summoned, (1200/1400) drew out a thick ivory horn and blew a steady tune into it, thus calling Joey's next monster, a svelte warrior with dark blonde hair held back in a ponytail, with pseudo-futuristic armor and a massive blade. (1700/1600) "For my next move, I'll activate the Magic card, Lightning Sword, to increase the attack power of my Captain by 800 points!" The leader of war now received a most peculiar weapon, a lengthy and wide sword that crackled with electrical power. (2000/1400) "Now, Marauding Captain, wipe out his defense!"

"Nope! I activate the card I played face down, Windstorm of Etaqua, which switches the positions of all your monsters!" As he had claimed, the two warriors went into crouched positions, forced by the winds of his trap. "And that's not all; I activate the other card I had face down, Raigeki Break, to discard one card from my hand and roast one of your cards, and I think Marauding Captain fits the bill!" From out of nowhere, a solitary bolt of lightning slashed through the Captain, causing him to be reduced to a scorched corpse with a slight trickle of blood flowing downwards. "Anythin' else, Wheeler?"

"Yep. One more card face down, and that'll do it."

"Then back ta da duel, bucko!" Jin drew yet again, and saw another golden chance. "I'll start by flippin' up me face down monster, Serpent of the Gale, and by doin' so I can draw one card for ev'ry Wind monster sent to the graveyard so far, thus allowin' me to draw two cards, seein' as I sent a Wind monster to the grave because of Raigeki Break." Jin's monster was a transparent cobra with golden fangs and green crystal wings. (750/1200) "I'll then summon the monster known as Lightning Drillman in attack mode!" The next monster that appeared was actually a human with black hair that stood on end with static electricity. The only things that stood out about him were his thick blue armor and the drill-like coil of electricity that was his right hand. (1700/1400) "I'll then activate the card called Special Hurricane, to discard one card from my hand and destroy all Special Summoned monsters on the field!" Jin's Magic card, upon resolution, sent a wailing storm of thunder and lightning crashing to the floor, and although his Lightning Drillman and Serpent were steady throughout, Joey's dimensional warrior was not as fortunate. Soon enough the assailant was sucked into the eye of the storm by the F5 force gales, whereupon a single bolt of thunder spiked through his body and incinerated it. "But that's not all. The monster I sent to the graveyard is Serpent of the Lightning, which allows me to draw cards equal to the total number of Thunder monsters in my hand and on the field when it enters the discard pile, so I draw two cards more. And don't think the noose is full tight yet; now I sacrifice me Drillman and Serpent of the Gale to summon Sanga of the Thunder in attack mode!"

It was indeed a card Joey was familiar with, having seen it in his duel with the Brothers Paradox at Duelist Kingdom some time back, and as the immense thunder god was called forward from the glowing pool of blood created by the lightning bolt beheading of the two sacrifices, he almost expected the twins to leap forward and create a rather mediocre rhyme. Luckily, nothing of the sort happened, but now Joey had to stare down the kanji-faced golden deity, whose four golden orbs on its back were humming with anxious strips of electrical force, and whose claws hungered for the sweet rip of flesh. (2600/2200)

"Pretty good, uh…"

"Jin's the name, and Storm duelin's the game. Sure, hardly anyone uses the weather anymore to fight or duel, but I've been a fan of winds and storms since me pap bounced me on the knee."

"Uh, ok. Anyway, not bad, summoning such a strong monster this quickly. But remember, you still have my face down card to deal with! I activate the Trap card, Chasm of Spikes, which'll instantly skewer your thunder god, as well as knock out a quarter of that monster's attack from your life points!"

But even as the abyss of spines burst open to consume the divinity, something quite unexpected happened, for it seemed as though the vague image of a large golden rattlesnake that was floating on storm clouds was surrounding the elemental. And at that very instant, those thunderheads unleashed a hail of thunder that fused the gap together.

"Oops. Prob'bly should've mentioned that. Ya see, if a Thunder monster on my side of the field is the target of a Magic or Trap, my Serpent of the Lightning can negate that effect, so long as me monster can't attack that turn. Looks like it's back to you."

"Fine by me! I draw, and I'll activate the Treasure of Destiny Magic card, which allows me to roll a die and draw cards equal to the roll, so long as I remove the same number from the top of the deck." Joey casually flicked the die from his hand using the wrist, and watched it flip about until it landed on 5, upon which he drew the cards and removed the cost. "Next, I'll summon Sasuke Samurai #4 in attack mode, and activate the Continuous Magic card, Second Coin Toss!" Joey's next warrior monster looked an old time samurai warrior that had undergone a rapid proportional decrease, equipped with an armor-punching lance. (1200/1200) "The Magic I'll explain in a sec, but first I'll attack your Sanga!" With his marching orders, the fourth Sasuke brother charged forth, lance pointed directly at Sanga's head. The miniature soldier looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Sorry, Joe, but your grunt's a wee bit small to be attackin' me thunder god."

"Actually, I'm glad you brought that up. You see, whenever Sasuke enters battle, I can flip a coin and call it. If I'm right, your monster is destroyed, regardless of points, but if I'm wrong the attack goes through."

"Ah, so that's why you played Second Coin Toss."

"Yep. That way I have two shots. But enough of that; let's see if luck be a lady."

As per the monster's effect, the hardhead extracted a coin and flipped it with his thumb and index finger. "Heads."

The coin held for a moment or so, until it came down to the profile side.

"Oh yeah!"

As the effect resolved, Sanga attempted to block the attack using his Surge Defender technique, but Sasuke punched through the lightning chain fence created by the effect and thrust his spear deep into the god's neck. For a while, the monster strangled on its own blood, until such time as it dissipated into the realm from whence it came.

"Not bad, but you've forgotten the third and final special ability of my Serpent of the Lightning, which lets me add a Thunder monster from my deck to my hand and drop it's level by 1 whenever a Thunder monster is sent to the Graveyard by a monster effect, but on me third turn after I must remove the destroyed monster and Serpent from play, and my selected monster if sent to the grave."

"Ok, I end my turn with two cards face down." _Jeez, this guy is tough…_

"Back to me." Another card for the lively wind demon. "Ok, Wheeler, it's time I put an end to this. I summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch in attack mode, which I am able to do thanks to the effect of it losing a level by Serpent of the Lightning!" Jin's second being of the thunder was not as godly as his predecessor, but he was an imposing sight nonetheless. Towering over everything else on the field at a height of eight feet, the mage within could not be seen for the thick silver armor and domed helm he worse. The decorative piece attached to his back and his claws, like Sanga, roared with thunderous might. (2400/1000) "And because of his special effect, I can destroy your only monster on the field when he's summoned!" Bellowing out in some ancient tongue of which Joey knew nothing, the thunder emperor hurled his wrath upon the samurai which had murdered his deity, sending a sweeping wave of lightning to reduce the warlord to ashes. "Then, my Zaborg will attack your life points directly!" The tyrant of the clouds now charged his claws with over two billion volts of raw electricity, and thus charged forth to avenge his master. 

"Sorry, I activate the card I had face down, A Hero Emerges! This Trap forces you to pick a card in my hand when you attack, and if the card picked is a monster, it's summoned to the field, and if you pick anything else I ditch it."

There were only two cards in Joey's hand, and the finalist of Battle City knew that this needed to go off perfectly. One was a Magic card that wouldn't be of any use, and the other…

"Fine."

Now, Jin may have been a small time duelist, but he knew, as all duelists knew, the rather unorthodox method which Joey used to duel. Normally focusing so much on luck was a dangerous play, but with Joey it was as though the heavens themselves dictated his games of chance. He would have to pick carefully, and pray to God he didn't pick incorrectly.

"I think I'll pick…the card on the left. No, the one on the right."

Already Jin was panicking. He couldn't read his enemy's face, as he usually did. Joey obviously wasn't going to tip his hand; providence would be the deciding factor.

Joey was also watching his opponent, once jovial eyes crinkled with focus._ C'mon, pick the card…_

Jin's expression hardened. "I pick the card on the left." It was all in fate's hands now.

Suddenly Joey broke into a victorious grin, and he turned his card face to the opposing duelist.

"You just let me summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

Hiei's Fortress, Clearance 2 Area

"Ok, lady, make yourself at home."

Kuwabara could not believe it. Here he was, having gone toe to toe with Seto Kaiba himself, and now Hiei had him on localized patrol. This basically meant that he was just doing odd jobs like killing off liabilities.

And of course, if a prospective member of the Shadow was housed at the Devil's Citadel, which rarely ever occurred, it would now be Kuwabara's job to help them out.

Hiei was warped, sadistic, brutal, and some say masochistic, but he was certainly a good host; in particular, to those who could prove useful. But how this woman be of any use to anyone?

But like everyone else, Kazuma Kuwabara had long since learned to hold his tongue.

With a resigned shrug, the hired hand of the Black Shadow dropped the two pieces of luggage that their guest had been able to bring with her. The medium attaché case was largely business-related, with documentation from her previous employer, or in actuality owner, several references and her standard weapon concealed in the base. It was in her moderately sized suitcase that she held all of her personal effects.

"Where is Jagenshi? He and I have an appointment today."

Kuwabara, in all actuality, did not have the vaguest idea what Hiei was up to; from the pissed off look on his superiors face at breakfast that morning, he had guessed something was up with the Union, so he decided to work with that.

"He's dealing with something else, I think."

The client now got a strange look on her face, like there was some kind of cosmic joke she wanted to hear, but upon hearing the joke didn't get it.

"So do you have any idea_ where_ he is?" Now the woman was getting frustrated; she was half-tempted to reach for her weapon of choice and slice the baboon to pieces.

"I don't know. He has his own things to do. However, we have an ok bar around here. If you'd like to head on down, I could buy you a drink."

The look in his eyes said it all.

"Let me make one thing very clear. I will never talk to you, except on business, and you had better steer clear of me, or I might just take your head."

The thug could see she was not kidding, but decided to press his luck.

"You wouldn't. Hiei would kill you."

"Not really. People like you are worth less than the compost heaps you were born in. If he wanted a repulsive goon, he could find over ten thousand to fit the bill in this city." With a smooth and practiced step, she eased her way into the cabin.

"So you don't want a drink?"

"Of course I do…away from you, that is."

And with one motion, the thick metal door slammed shut.

_In retrospect, a screwdriver would've been nice. But the less alcohol I consume with that pervert the better._

It was not really surprising to the demoness that Kuwabara had started hitting on her; from what Hiei said there were very few women who worked in the organization to begin with, and they were mostly old hands at the game. Also, most were quite repulsive, which was not the case with her. 

This was, in all fairness, the first time she had seen herself since the regeneration, and even though she found ningen clothing totally ridiculous it was an alright fit. Staring back at her from the mirror directly to her left upon entering was a tall, slender woman, with dark blue jeans, a red button-up shirt, and modest black pumps. On her arm was a second Duel Gauntlet and a new deck, since circumstances had forced her to relinquish both originals, and her face, almost flawless with raven black hair tied back and a china doll complexion, was horribly defiled by a pair of soulless burgundy eyes.

_At least Hiei kept my face intact…_

_Still, it was good enough. And even if it was a frightfully ugly style of clothing for her, it was the first outfit she had worn while working for Hiei._

_The first outfit…of her freedom from Naraku._

"Yes, this will work out exquisitely."

It was time to begin, and the first thought that came to Kagura's mind was to call her benefactor. And for that reason she leaned against the wall and opened the standard issue cell phone given to all Black Shadow members.

_Now, what was that bastard's number again?_

Slowly the digits began to dawn on her, and just as slowly she entered them.

The other line rang for a moment or so, until a click opened up the line.

"What?"

"Still ill-tempered as always, even to first time callers."

She could hear him sigh with relief.

"I'm glad you called, Kagura. There's something we need to discuss."

Her heart skipped a beat, or would have if she had been in possession of one.

"Ok. Talk to me."

"Well, the plan we discussed about two months ago has started to go into effect, so unless Vera fucks up everything should go on schedule."

"And what of Naraku?"

"You let me worry about that. Besides, I think you have a grudge against someone else."

Kagura's eyes narrowed in anger as she remembered the Pharaoh, that pompous, egotistical, and vain little bastard.

"Listen, Hiei, before I forget, tell your hired apes to back off. That asshole Kuwabara tried to pick me up a minute ago. When we made our agreement, I was under the impression that there would be a semblance of respect."

The demon of shadows on the other end chuckled.

"It's of no concern, to be fair. Our little demonstration will make them respect and fear you at once, as well as generate massive stock jumps."

Kagura gave a wan smile. She wasn't sure what to call the man who had taken her in, a mad scientist, a supervillain, or a magical gangster. Anyway, it didn't matter. She'd gotten what she'd wanted.

"Now, back to business. Did you receive the dossier, as we agreed?"

"Yes. And I've been observing the Pharaoh and his wench quite carefully from the position you gave me."

"So far, so good. That means we can continue mobilization as planned."

"One more thing. When you recovered my dueling deck, it was intact, correct?"

"Yes. It's essentially your original deck, not the one you lost to Yami with."

"Next time, warn me when something's going to hurt like hell. The banishment felt like I was being buried in hot coals."

"You were fortunate. Most of the time I couldn't even regenerate the skeletons of a total punishment game."

"Fair enough."

There was a pause, and a rustle of papers in the background.

"Ok, I think we're about done for today. Tomorrow you'll be formally introduced to the rest of the Black Shadow. In the meantime, get some sleep. You're going to need it."

And without a single goodbye, the phone call abrubtly ended.

_Sort of funny. My savior is both a madman and a discourteous bastard._

Kagura stood up, and from her opened suitcase took out her black and red kimono and her toiletry kit. Her intent was to shower, then get to bed; it had been an exhausting day for the resurrected sorceress.

And the following days would be harder still.

Slums of New Paradigm

Whispers.

Akuren could hear them, the hushed voices of the numerous other merchants as he walked out of the office, lengthy knife drenched in human blood, and though he could not quite hear what they were saying, he could tell it was him they were talking about.

They knew very well what had happened in the memory store, and they knew exactly what kind of a man Akuren was; even among humans he had a horrific reputation as a murderer and a hard line psychotic. So the mortals just went about their business, and prayed that he would not care.

As he passed through the market, the ninja, on a whim, decided to thumb through the photos he had collected. Most were of minor importance, just some blurred snapshots of Wheeler, the negotiator, and at least one of Kaiba. So it confused him why he had gone to all that trouble. If Jagenshi had wanted information, he could have just sent the ninja around town, or better yet search by himself, instead of sending him to this dump. But then, Akuren knew what was going on.

Out of all of the servants within the Black Shadow crime syndicate, Akuren was one of Hiei's least favorites. The tortured lunatic had made it very clear that the shadow demon only had standing as a bodyguard, and that for all purposes he would not be on the receiving end of much of the profits.

And yet he served, for the simple reason that it would all pay off in the end in a way no one would ever have predicted.

The thick concrete floor hardly had anyone on it; in a wise move they had decided to close shop for the sake of avoiding the ninja and the dark power he represented. They could sense the presence of the Black Shadow on his breath, in his step, even in the way he carried his weapons. There was no need to ask his identification, no need to accost him on the street. One look, and you knew that he worked under Hiei.

The people of New Paradigm could see the storm, without even having to look outside the window. And Akuren saw it as well.

_I see the writing, stark against the whitewashed palace, scrawled in dripping red paint that reminds me of ningen blood. I have seen it for years, away from the eyes of the crow demon that tutored me, and the vigilance of the depraved egomaniac I serve. Even as a youth, raised in a commune of lawless mercenaries, I could always see the stains of the Possession upon this world._

The demon stopped for a moment, leering down the stairwell at the seemingly inaccessible passage to the outside. _Hiei, you resurrector of whores and conspiracy theorists, what can you hope to do when the truth of your inner soul is unleashed, and the rightful Demon God ascends? What will their traitorous winds and oil-soaked bandages do when he arrives, and what shall you do…when you must face him alone?_ Akuren, the begrudging soldier of the greatest crime syndicate ever created, was the only one that appreciated what was to come. The thugs were unaware, only interested in their daily paycheck. The lower tiers of internal command had not been alerted. Even the Inner Circle could not grasp what was to come. 

Yes, Akuren was the only one that knew…or so he thought.

The door gave way to him, quite literally; the hinges were so rusted that a slight breeze could shatter them. And in a move unbecoming of his species, the ninja stood in the direct sunlight, his most vulnerable position as a shadowshifter.

Shadowshifter. The name brought a cold feeling of hatred to the Quest demon, for with that title his enemies and allies alike had blacklisted him, calling him an abomination and a sacrilege that did not deserve to live. He had wandered for most of the time afterwards, picking up odd paychecks and fleeting residences wherever he could. And it was during one of these struggles, during the single lowest point in his life, sitting in a leaky tavern and staring into a glass of whiskey that had long since lost its appeal, that he met Hiei, the only person in the world who shared his life story.

The only person he had ever truly loathed.

What little warmth he could acquire from the solar rays was quickly vanishing, and if history was any witness, it could only mean one thing.

_So, the sixth and final point has assembled itself. Now it can truly begin._

Akuren had been waiting for this moment, when all that he had worked for over the years would begin to fall into place. The Six Points of Anubis were in this very city: Light, Darkness, Vengeance, Fanaticism, Rebellion, and now, Chaos. The events that spanned over a course of ten thousand years would finally come to fruition, and soon the Possession would begin. 

And it would all begin with his latest enemy.

The voice that spoke to Akuren from nowhere was a deep, powerful voice, and yet rich at the same time, a voice of good intent. It was a voice Akuren was somewhat familiar with.

"So, the darkness has already begun its mechanics of destruction, long before I had even arrived."

The ninja wrapped his hand around his second weapon, the thick mace that had come to be known in Spirit World as the Thunder of the Fifth Hell, and now held it in such a manner as to swing it upwards if necessary.

"You are correct, Guardian of the Citadel. However, I'm afraid you and your wretched attacks on Jagenshi's brutes have come too little, too late. Already the Black Shadow has put into place their next tactic."

"Fine. If that is the case, I shall just have to stop them, and I'll start with you, Akuren, or should I say, Hogosha."

The assassin flared up in demonic anger as he heard this, but managed to calm his temper.

"Hm. No one has called me by that name in over seven years, and if luck is with me, no one shall ever call me by that name again. So you might as well show yourself."

Akuren, or Hogosha as he had once been known, looked forward, hoping for at least a spot of shade through which he could pass. But fate and solar rays did not afford him this luxury. So all he could do was wait, wait for his enemy to arise.

And from what seemed nothingness emerged Akuren's second opponent, his rival, the man who guarded the world from behind the scenes.

The gradual dispersion of the Chaos Barrier now unveiled a towering man of about 19, with hair as black as Akuren's clothing, tied into a lengthy ponytail that ran down his back. He was wearing grey hakama pants with a dark obi on his upper torso, and thick, steel-tipped boots covered his feet. Upon his arm was a gleaming Duel Gauntlet, indicative that he was in the highest stratas of dueling capability. 

_This ends now, Hogosha._

"Well, it certainly has been a long time, Enzeru. How long has it been, two, maybe three years since our last encounter? You've certainly grown in strength since then, but rest assured I am still your superior, in skill and intellect." 

The warrior called Enzeru did not move, or indicate any kind of resentment at this. It was as though he was waiting for something, as all of his people had been.

"Don't flatter yourself. The powers of my family, the Guardians of the Citadel, have outranked the powers you represent when they first existed 7000 years ago, and they still have that strength today."

Akuren, in turn, lowered his mace as he broke out in splintered laughter, his entire body racked with spasms of pain and humor. "Surely you jest! The powers of which you speak are archaic and outdated; no one gives a damn about the Citadel of Chaos anymore! Most consider it nothing more than a boogeyman story meant to frighten children at night, and I happen to accept that as truth."

Hogosha's ravings did not come as a surprise to Enzeru. He knew all about the incident that had taken his mother, the lunatic who had forsaken God for his own purposes.

"You deserted your obligation to my family, Akuren; it shouldn't matter if you believed in our cause or not. You swore an oath when my grandfather graciously took you under his wing, and this is how you repay him. Had it been me you would surely be dead by now."

"Unenlightened as always, Guardian. I betrayed the Citadel for one reason and one reason only: I found a new god to worship, a far better one than the phantoms you stand behind! What could any of you have accomplished with what you had to work with? You were all feeble and insipid, and I could not in good conscience continue on with the charade. One of us had to set the example, and it's pretty obvious that was person was not to be your father or mother!"

"Talk all you want. Your blasphemy will not stop me from destroying you and your false god. You may have the powers of the shadows, but I have a power that transcends that of the darkness, an ancient magic that you will never hold."

Enzeru knew what had to be done. Whatever compassion he had for the ninja had died long ago, so he would have no guilt in banishing his evil from creation. There was a higher power at work, and life or death could not even begin to describe it.

"You wish to do battle with me?"

Enzeru had no need to say anything. He knew Akuren could see into the storms of his eyes, and he realized that the might of the Guardians of the Citadel, the defenders of the Four Realms, had been placed in him for a reason.

"Well, if that be the case, I shall take no pity upon you!"

Luckily for Enzeru, Akuren's capabilities were only fully functional in shadows, meaning that he was only able to use his demonic and spiritual energies so long as the sun stayed strong. In hindsight, it should have occurred to him that it was late and there had to be shadows of some kind.

However, even without his ultimate might, the ninja was by no means powerless.

Akuren's speed, although not quite on par with Hiei's, was still formidable, and it was because of this that he was able to blitz out of Enzeru's line of sight and behind his back. The Guardian was completely defenseless, and one swift attack would easily dispatch him.

_Your father was wrong; the power of the Citadel I was endowed with may have been corrupted, but it is no less potent than it was when I left._

The bodyguard now leapt silently into the air, and from a hidden compartment in his sleeve sent forth not one, but ten Makai steel shuriken, each with a set of seven spike blades that were serrated from the vertex to the tip. And as confident as he was in his aim, Akuren decided to tip the odds in his favor by guiding the stars with demon energy. With any luck each one would slice through Enzeru's jugular. 

_Goodbye._

But the Guardian of Earth had been watching Akuren for some time, and he knew exactly the kind of tricks he would use to win. He came prepared for every challenge.

Just as the set of stars came within about ten feet of the target, Enzeru reached into his pocket and removed his family's true legacy, the more sophisticated of his two mediums through which he could channel his power. The device he extracted was unusual in that it was a piece of jewelry, more specifically a sapphire carven into the shape of a ten point star, which was attached to a simplistic chain of silver that trailed up his sleeve.

Akuren instantaneously recalled what the totem was, and there was nothing he could do about what was to happen next.

"AVATARS OF THE DEVIL'S POWER, RETURN TO THE SOURCE FROM WHENCE YOU CAME!"

What happened was considered to be the single greatest spiritual phenomenon known to man or demon, for at that exact moment the demon energy guiding the throwing stars was now converted into the same energy wavelength as Enzeru had. And with a single gesticulation, the shuriken now served his will, and turned upon Akuren.

But, as was usual for him, the ninja had also come prepared with a countermeasure, and so he extracted from his quiver an outrageously long, delicate knife that looked as if it had been made of a poorly reconstructed glass pipe with a cracked dagger built into the tip.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid that turning my own power against me will not save your life. On the other hand, that same theory shall work perfectly in my favor!"

Enzeru saw the weapon, and was horrified to discover it was one of the Citadel's own. Also of terrifying nuance was the mastery of the weapon, for as Akuren bloated it with his demonic aura, he could see that it was slowly expanding without any heat energy at all.

"SHRAPNEL BLADE!"

The ninja, with one flick of the wrist, sent this dagger into the midst of the stars, and once all of them were an equite distance from it the knife detonated into exactly six hundred and sixty six shards of iron and ceramic alloy. And as the bits of weaponry struck the shurikens, they themselves turned into miniature grenades, further covering the battlefield with smoke and flame.

"TEMPUS ASTRUM, EMBODIMENT OF TIME, DISPERSE THIS HELLFIRE SO THAT I MAY CONDEMN THIS DEMON OF SHADE!"

Once again Enzeru called forth the powers of the Time Star, only this time a visible barrier surrounded him and deflected most of the blast. To make matters worse, the barrier also rebuilt the shuriken, and one by one they were hurtled at Akuren once more.

_So the little whelp has learned basic timewelding. I'm not impressed. But then, perhaps I should step up my game as well._

The ninja touched down, and immediately called upon his Quest powers to create what looked like a human skull. After accomplishing this, Akuren made a mad dash to his right, watching carefully for any sign of a shadow. There were none, of course, which indicated that Enzeru had also mastered the Astrum Lucis power, exclusive to his grandfather. 

"So, you intend to stop me from using my shadowshifting. Well, it's not like it really matters." Behind his back, Akuren picked off a tooth from the skull, and pocketed both.

He needed some more time, long enough to activate his weapon.

Enzeru, having studied Akuren and his fighting style for three years, knew of it, and was ready to counteract it. In the meantime, he would just have to survive; it would not be an easy task.

In response to losing his preliminary advantage, Akuren now charged forward, forming a pair of ninja claws in his hand which throbbed with spirit energy. Enzeru, in his turn, focused the power of his Citadel training into his fists. In spite of his training he still felt light headed, seeing as his power was also channeled through blood.

He simply held his ground, waiting for Akuren to make the first blow, or attempt to at least. Enzeru knew there could be no middle ground today.

He knew Hogosha would have to die.

"This is where it ends, traitor!"

And with one great summoning of power, two short kodachi blades were formed from the might of the Star of Time.

Akuren could do nothing; his momentum was too great to change direction, and he had always been most vulnerable when using the claws, especially against kodachi. Still, that didn't mean he could counter with something else.

And it was now Enzeru's turn to charge, and much like Aoshi Shinomori of the Oniwaban group, he did just that, darting in front of the ninja, and swiftly blocking both messily executed slashes with one blade and destroying the claws, whilst deftly lashing at Akuren with his second…

…or he attempted to. For Akuren had blocked with his astonishingly light mace.

_Impossible! How could this monstrosity have mastered such a technique?_

And as if that was not enough, the ninja pulled out a second blunt weapon, a chain with a smaller mace attached to it. With almost pinpoint accuracy, it was swung at Enzeru, who pushed away at the ninja and severed the chain. 

Unable to do anything else, the two rivals stepped away from each other, both having drawn out their ultimate hand-to-hand weapons.

"So, you have plagiarized the supreme technique of the Oniwaban. Pathetic. You don't even deserve to carry a sword for your abysmal performance today!"

"And what of you? Something tells me that you are not entirely what you seem to be, Akuren."

"Correct. But then again…"

And as he said this, the ninja drew out the weapon he had created earlier.

"…does it really matter?"

"You're going to try that trick again, ninja?"

Akuren, though he did not show it, flashed a cold and brutal smile.

"It worked well enough against your father, didn't it?" With a flick of the wrist, the skull bomb dropped to the floor. "I'll see you in Hell, Enzeru."

The explosive seemed to glow with a life of its own, almost instantly triggering the switch that would consume them both…

Inuyasha vs. Raphael

Brilliantly executed, as always. Raphael had known the dog demon was weak and stupid, but up until this moment he had had no idea of the scale of his idiocy.

Throughout the entirety of the Seal's existence, there had been two kinds of people: those who used its power to bring justice to the warped and convoluted world in which they lived, and those whose hidden wickedness convinced them to use it for their own dark intentions. And it was that second category that was destined to be swallowed up by the ancient weapon which they used.

_It's time for you to see the corruption in your heart, dog demon._

Time seemed to become a moot point as Inuyasha lifted the Magic card above his head. Already he could sense the power his hand was about to unleash, the primordial hand of God that would allow him the strength that he would once have had only with the Shikon no Tama, and it now became obvious that he had never really needed Kikyo or Kagome to reach this pinnacle. In fact, they both had been a monumental waste of time. 

_Weird. Where'd that thought come from? Eh, it's probably right anyways._

The pain in his chest spiked, but he was able to ignore it as his hand drew closer to his Duel Gauntlet, and the Field Magic slot opened. It was within his grasp, his dream, his hope, all he had prayed for was impending. And all he had to do… 

…was slip the card into the slot, as he did.

"You've threatened me, attacked me, and dared to think you could beat me, Raphael. But what can you hope to do to me when I am in control of your deadliest card?"

"Interesting word choice, Inuyasha. Tell me, do you think that you control the Seal?"

The Field Magic slot slowly began to recede, the Seal disappearing into the Gauntlet's card reader.

"Or perhaps there is another possibility."

The slot was now completely assimilated, the scanner determining exactly what had been placed.

"What are you blathering about!"

"It's a simple question. Do you control the Seal, or does the Seal control you?"

After about a moment or so, the scan was complete. And the fate of the duel was sealed.

The instant the Seal of Orichalcos was played Inuyasha felt the full effect of its force; throughout the duel, he had never been able to fully comprehend what he was dealing with. But now that he could experience it, he was fully able to realize that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong. His vision was becoming blurry, sensations and perceptions were becoming distorted. All around him Inuyasha could hear gruesome shrieks, contrived from his own bloody past and resurrected from his own demonic soul. His skin felt as though it was melting, he could barely feel the cards in his hand.

And the power of the Tetsuaiga was now little more than a distant afterthought.

_This doesn't make…any…sense! Th…thi…this Seal should be enhancing my power, not taking away from it, so then why do I feel as though I'm losing control? Why do I feel like…my full demon power is taking precedence?_

And it was then that he saw Raphael's smug look. With barely enough strength to stand and fend off his darkness, Inuyasha stared into the sky, and saw the vibrant green circle descending upon them, and asdrew ever closer, he felt an emotion he had hoped would be controlled by Kagome and his own sword: pure, unerring hatred. 

_He…planned this…all along…_

Raphael, not intimidated by the Seal of Orichalcos, was more focused on the wrathful look in Inuyasha's eyes. The demon should now have succumbed to his inner darkness; that was a given. But he was interested in finding out exactly how the Seal would affect a half-demon. He, Sensui, and Dartz had always made assumptions about the matter, but now it was time to confirm these theories. 

For the Seal of Orichalcos had arrived.

"Well, half-breed, it appears that you have gotten your wish. You now hold the power to make or break the world in your grubby little paws, and now you must decide exactly what you intend to do with it. And that decision shall be shaped by what the Seal uncovers about you. Are you a warrior of righteousness, or have you always been a denizen of Satan's will?"

The Seal of Orichalcos, to manifest its dominion over the dog, appeared in a smaller form upon his forehead that was no less potent. And with newfound resolve the beast stood on his feet.

Instantly Raphael saw that what he had suspected from the beginning was true. For even from that distance he could sense the vast change in Inuyasha's demonic aura. It had become dark, bitter, and violent, and it became clear to him that he had not only unlocked his dark mind…but also his full demon lineage.

Inuyasha, whose horror at the affect had long since expired, now seemed to have become consumed by an evil far greater than anything Raphael had ever seen. His entire aura had changed, and his claws had lengthened significantly, as had his canines. Another noteworthy characteristic of the full demon Inuyasha was the set of two markings on his cheeks that were colored like bruises, and that his eyes now glowed a violent crimson.

And standing over it all was the Seal of Orichalcos.

"You are such a fool, Raphael." His voice had become a harsh tenor of a growl, seemingly feral in nature. "You handed me the Seal of Orichalcos, and now my ultimate power is about to be released. I hope you understand that much, because it's my move!"

The reborn Inuyasha looked over his new cards, and instantly saw a plan materialize. "First off, because I have the Seal in play, all of my monsters gain 500 extra attack points, meaning your Seal of Ice loses its effect." As he said this, the demon's monsters gained, as their master did, the Seal upon their foreheads, thus enabling the gorilla to burst free of his incarceration. (2500/1500) (2400/1000) "Next, I'll get rid of these eyesores to summon a monster you can't beat, the Carnal Gatekeeper of Hell!" The two monsters that Inuyasha had summoned before were now torn apart in a tumultuous whirlwind of shadows, leaving behind only a massive puddle of blood. And from this puddle emerged what was easily one of the most revolting monsters the demon could play, a hulking bear-like monster with blood-red fur, three patches of spiked scales, and claws that were the size and shape of the Tetsuaiga. (4900/2600) "You see, when I ditch two weaker Beast monsters, I'm allowed to give this monster all of their attack and defense points, and also give it the power to inflict damage even if the monster is in defense mode. Then of course, my monster gains the power of the Seal of Orichalcos, increasing his overall attack and defense by 500 more points." The ancient emblem now generated itself upon the behemoth, who gave out a violent roar of confidence and pleasure. (5400/3100) "Next, I'll activate the Magic card, Axe of Despair, to increase my monster's attack strength even farther!" The behemoth was instantly granted with a heavy skull axe which boosted its attack power to a level that was rarely attained. (6400/3100) "Now, Carnal Gatekeeper, demolish his Ryoko Guardian!"

"Sorry, Inuyasha, but I can't let you destroy my monster! Remember, my Armor of Hell, Iras, is still on the field, meaning that your monstrosity loses 400 attack points!" The plate armor wielded by the Gardna class monster now seeped an archaic form of miasma that had been occasionally used in the Duel Monsters world for defensive maneuvers. This toxic gas was blown towards the behemoth by an unknown wind, causing it to lose attack power. (5900/3000) But that did not stop the power of the beast from bounding towards the guardian.

"Heh. It just looks like you made my monster angry."

"Not exactly. First off, because your monster just lost attack power, I can activate the Card of Last Will I had face down to draw five new cards. Next, I'll activate my Ultimate Offering trap, to pay 500 life points and summon Guardian Iras to the field in attack mode!" (2100/2500)

As Raphael drew his cards, he also summoned another one of his Guardians, this time a large wolf demon that bore some resemblance to a werewolf. (1500/2000) "And thanks to the power of my Ryoko Guardian, Iras now gains his armor!" The armor of Mephistopheles now shifted, so as to be taken on by the beast which had stood over it in the days of Faust. (1500/2700)

"That won't be enough! My monster has more attack strength then any one of your sad little monsters!"

"Really? Well, my Iras has a special effect which allows me to negate an attack leveled against a Guardian monster." Iras, seeing the impending danger his fellow was in, leapt in front of the Behemoth's claws. The armor held, and both monsters escaped unscathed.

"You're slipping, Raphael. Now I activate my own Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Purity of the Cemetery!" A storm of thunder and wind settled upon his card, shattering it instantly. "That's all for now."

_You'll need more than that to beat me, dog._"The DOOM Soldier drew his next cards, and saw that the situation was not in his favor._ As long as that vile beast is on the field, I won't be able to mount an attack on his life points. But thanks to my Kay'est, neither can he. Still, I need to get the upper hand before he draws something that can wipe me out._

"I'll start by placing a monster face down in defense mode, followed by the activation of my Monster Recovery Magic card to shuffle the Ryoko Guardian and my entire hand into my deck, and draw cards equivalent to this number." The Gardna monster, and Raphael's hand, vanished into the deck before he drew. I'll then play Book of Taiyou, allowing me to flip the Arsenal Summoner face up." The monster Raphael revealed was a scrawny, mysterious sorcerer that held a number of faux guardian weapons and charms on his belt. (1600/1600) "Because he was flipped face up, I can add any card with Guardian in its name to my hand, in this case Guardian Neros. Next, I'll activate the Magic card, Veil of Guardians, which lets me pay 1500 life points to special summon a Guardian monster from my hand, regardless of requirements. Of course, because I activated the Spell Economics Magic card I had face down, this payment is moot." Behind Raphael now appeared a sort of aurora, shimmering with fleeting images of the ancient world, particularly Greece, Rome, and Eastern Europe where they had been most precedent. "I'll then use the Veil to Special summon Neros to the field in defense mode!" From the aurora now sailed a vicious gryphon, golden in visage and with pale green eyes and silver wings. (2100/1700) "Because of this new monster, I can set a Trap card from my deck onto the field, but because I have no room, I'll have to settle with discarding the Trap and boosting Neros's strength." The trap was sent away, and the gryphon gained even more attack strength. (2600/1700) "That'll do for now." _I need to hold him off for a few turns more, at least until I can draw out my ultimate weapons…_

"This duel is finished! I draw, and activate the card known as Harvest of Bloodletting! This Magic card lets me sacrifice a monster on my side of the field and draw cards equal to half its current level!" As the card was played, a brutal reaper stepped down and eviscerated Inuyasha's monster. It then spread its bones out as seeds, and watered them with life fluids.

"Thanks, dog demon. You've allowed me to activate the Trap known as Limit Tribute, which allows us both to only sacrifice one monster per turn!"

"I don't need to sacrifice some flimsy monsters to beat you! I can do it using the powers of the Orichalcos! Now, rounded up, the number of cards I draw is four, from which I shall summon the monster known as Chupacabra in attack mode!" Inuyasha's next monster was a crouching demon of sorts, a yellow-armored humanoid lizard with a set of broken green teeth, soulless blue eyes, and a single, wickedly curved talon on each hand. Befitting its gruesome appearance, a shimmering Orichalcos Seal appeared upon its head. (1500 500 2000/1000 500 1500) "And whenever it destroys one of your pathetic monsters my beast gains an extra 500 attack points. Next, I'll activate the Magic card, Roar of the Inner Beast, which allows me to discard ten monsters from my deck, and in exchange I increase the attack of my Chupacabra by 1000 points, as well as grant him the capability to attack directly, so long as it is the only monster that can attack until it is destroyed!" (3000/1500) "Finally, I shall play Monster Reborn to resurrect Pitch Black Warwolf to the field!" The deadly lupine soldier returned to the field next to the Chupacabra, only this time gaining the power of the Seal. (2100/1100) "And because my monster has returned, you can no longer activate your Trap cards, meaning I shall be able to demolish you with one final attack! And when I do, your soul shall be trapped for all of eternity! NOW CHUPACABRA, ATTACK RAPHAEL'S LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY!"

With speed matched only by Hiei, the monstrosity bolted forward, past the Guardians and directly for Raphael.

_You should never have given me that card, Raphael. It has given me power you could never hope to understand, and it is through that power that I shall annihilate you once and for all…_

But the master of the Guardians was not finished just yet. "I activate the Quick Play Magic card, Book of Moon, to switch your Warwolf into face down defense mode, which I'll chain with the Zero Gravity Trap card to switch Chupacabra into defense mode, and I shall chain that to the Tragedy Trap card, which will destroy all of your defense mode monsters on the field!" 

A brilliantly executed maneuver, one that Inuyasha had not seen coming, and in subsequent order his Warwolf and Chupacabra went into various defense positions, whereupon they burst into pieces as a twin set of blades crashed through them.

"Impressive, Raphael. But unfortunately for you I'm not done yet. I'll now activate the Magic card, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards at the price of two. For my next move, I'll activate Treasure of Slashing Life, to draw five cards and discard my entire hand five turns from now."_ Yes! Now it's time to put this bastard in his place._ "From these new cards, I play Ice Age Panic! When I have no other monsters on my side of the field, I am allowed to special summon an Earth-type monster from my deck , and I think that the Big Tusked Mammoth fits the bill!" Without warning, a sudden flurry of snow and hail burst up from one of the monster card zone, and something seemed to be emerging from it, a gargantuan mammoth with curling, almost sheeted tusks. (2000 500 2500/1000 500 1500)

"And thanks to this new monster, none of yours may attack during the turn in which they are summoned. Next, I'll activate Premature Burial, to pay 800 life points to resurrect one of the monsters I sent to the Graveyard using Roar of the Inner Beast, Behemoth, the King of All Animals, and thanks to your Magic card I don't lose anything." Inuyasha's latest monster bore a slight resemblance to an oversized violet bear, with tusks and a shaggy mane, and bore upon its head the Seal of Darkness. (2700 500 3200/1500 500 2000) "I'll follow that up with a Monster Reborn, to revive the Strike Basilisk you sent to the grave just a few turns before!" The ankh appeared on the field, and from it emerged the serpent, ready to do battle one last time, but this time had the Seal behind it. (2900/2500) "Now I activate the Magic card, Upstart Goblin, to draw one card from my deck at the cost of giving you 1000 life points." (2100/3500) "Another Magic card, Graceful Charity, whose effect I believe you're familiar with! And now, I will end my turn by discarding one Beast monster frommy hand, and in exchange I may special summon the Manticore of Darkness that I discarded earlier!" The final monster of the turn was a vile profanity of an animal, a humanoid lion with black eagle wings and a scorpion's tail. (2300 500 2800/1000 500 1500) "So go ahead and make your last move, Raphael. You have no way of defeating me now that I have such a powerful army of monsters who will die to serve and protect their master!"

But Raphael was not at all frightened. The dog demon, in his opinion, had not even used the Seal of Orichalcos to its full potential, and now he expected to win?No, Inuyasha was merely a brainless mutt driven mad by the Seal. No strategy, no real idea of what he is doing._ This was far too easy…_

"It's my move, Inuyasha." "Oh, like it really makes a difference! You don't even have the Seal, your most powerful card, and you expect to defeat me? Well, I'll admire you, and kick the shit out of you, for that. Prepare to lose everything in one final siege!" 

And the odds were that he would have continued on in this tangent…had he not locked eyes with a certain chocolate-haired, blue-eyed beauty, who just happened to wake up at that point.

Beneath Rosewater Tower, Subway System

The flicker of blue and orange fire against the blackened walls of New Paradigm looked exactly the same as it would in old Paradigm, and for some reason this was comforting to him.

Michael Seebach-or more accurately Schwarzvald-had always been fascinated with the hidden depths of the city of Paradigm, the dark places where nightmares were born and memories came to rest. It was beneath the streets that the Archetype megadeus had been uncovered and reactivated; it was where the Union held several important missile batteries.

It was also where the ghosts of recollection came to talk to those foolhardy enough to enter this place, and this was why Schwarzvald had come here.

The rumble of subway cars didn't bother him all that much, not after his battles with the domineus, and he had too many things to contemplate to notice anyway. There was still much to be done, Kagura would need to get used to the climate of the city, and there was the issue of Dartz and Naraku that was to be decided upon in a few days. And then, of course, there was the Pharaoh and his mob of groupies.

But Schwarzvald also had a few personal vendettas to settle in this tournament, as well as the crusade he took upon himself all those years ago.

_Truth. The most noble of causes. To live without knowledge, without memory, without any true sense of self, is to live a life of emptiness and banality. How can a society fueled by superstition and ignorance possibly hope to survive? It cannot even be called a society, but merely a savage nomadic outpost waiting to die off. So what hope can the nonbelievers have without the truth?_

Schwarzvald was considered to be one of the rare journalists that actually cared about the truth, taking little account in headlines and shock media. He had vehemently campaigned for the dissolution of the Paradigm Eagle Eye about ten years prior, considering it to be acelebrity controlled rag; when Rosewater was murdered, he had gotten his wish, thus affirming his belief in the Black Shadow and Hiei. In fact, Schwarzvald had stood behind his demonic supervisor in just about every situation, even before the Black Shadow was officially founded. 

It was this devotion, as well as his unmatched skills in combat and Duel Monsters, that landed the reporter in the highly sought-after position of right hand man and second in command to the chieftain. And it was from this position that he would unveil to the world the Light that he had spent 15 years searching for.

But there would be time for gloating later.

The sounds of the trains became more pronounced as he stood up, as well as the chest pains that had never quite subsided from his battle with the Pharaoh. He had never dreamed that such power could exist, nor did he believe when first told that the source of that power transcended the Event and stretched back over 5 millennia. Seebach had certainly _known_ about the existence of outside human civilizations, under circumstances that had never made a lot of sense at the time, but he could never have believed that it went so far back.

But there was nothing stopping him now as he forced his way through the dank tunnels directly beneath the Union's base of operations. He could smell the vile reek of human perspiration and other, much less tasteful odors, and somewhere to his right he could overhear a drug-induced conversation about abandoning the past and moving forward. He almost lost what little self-control he had; Seebach was tempted to walk over to them and bombard the addicts with literature, but decided against it. There was work to be done, through which enlightenment would descend from the heavens.

"Metropolis, the final written work of Gordon Rosewater that never came to a conclusion, spoke of the end of humanity. Yes, I know that much. But now the question is, what exactly is to bring this end about?"

His assignment had been simple enough: track down whatever information he could on the old days of Paradigm. The job was both a mission and a sort of reward. But it was not easy; there were no actual copies of Metropolis in circulation, and from that text, Hiei said, could be discerned what role Yami had in this tournament.

"This city, which Hiei believes draws roots from an ancient force, has long since lost its inner darkness. What little can be found has probably rusted into nothingness, and the lies woven by Rosewater have been severed." The roar of the Violet Line 6:00 faded away, and the reporter became more consumed in his thoughts. "So then why has no one been able to awaken? Why must mankind continue on in this downward spiral towards certain ruin?"

Seebach only talked to himself when his thoughts would not suffice, and there were many thoughts to pore over.

"All that surrounded us seven years ago, the wastes, the oceans, the very Domes, it was all a grandiose stage, but there is more to it than that; there is a reason for the equipment, the lights, the scenery. Yes, there is still much to be unveiled, and I can sense that the time of that revelation is close at hand."

His hand shook as he walked forward, and unstable beams of light fell upon discarded cards that were not worthy of the dogs. In every direction there was waste and slovenliness, and no intellectualism or seeking to be found. "You who stand above the underground, so consumed with your daily indulgences and sins, you that strive to gain and gain without truly understanding that which acquire, you must see the world through the eyes of God himself, and witness the events of 47 years ago. No longer must you wallow in your silken sheets and drown your inquiries in wine and promiscuity, for the Truth of Paradigm is still unknown! There is much that is hidden from our eyes, much that can be learned if we only try and seek it out! I am merely the messenger, but I shall make you accept this fact, _and open your eyes to the Light of Truth!"_

His soapbox stood before thousands of unseeing eyes, his speech was heard and yet not heard at all. But through his cards and his writings this would no longer be the case.

By now Schwarzvald had wandered far off the beaten track; he expected he had journeyed away from the main tunnels and into these subsidiaries by accident, and in any case the Black Shadow would pick him up. But he suspected that what few memories he had obtained had led him here, to discover something.

It was then that he saw it, a silvern green door directly ahead that he had not noticed before, completely out of place. "Is this where I have been led, Rosewater? Is this where the memories are stored?" Schwarzvald's bandaged hand reached out, quivering in consternation, unsure of what lay beyond. It could be a simple power generator, maybe even a basement access door. But he doubted it, and in the name of his quest for truth he forced it open. 

There was a brilliant flash of light, one that blinded the reporter for a moment or so. But when his vision cleared…

As he saw what stood before him, Seebach almost leapt up in jubilation, and activated his comlink. After 15 years, the quest for the One Truth could truly begin.

"Master? I think we've found what we're looking for."

Kaiba and Botan vs. Tsubaki and Pegasus

There was a strained silence between three of the four duelists as they struggled to wrap their minds around what Pegasus had just said. The creator of Duel Monsters was certainly egocentric and narcissistic; that much was simply general knowledge. But had he really become so self-absorbed and arrogant as to create cartoon versions of the gods of Egypt?

"I think you're bluffing, Pegasus. There is no way that you could actually create a Toon Obelisk, by the simple definition of the God Cards."

"And here's me thinking you didn't believe in magic, Kaiba-boy. Well, as gratifying as your enlightenment is, it seems you still can't comprehend exactly who or what you're dealing with. I mean, doesn't it make sense that I would create these lovely creatures?"

"Not really, except perhaps to stroke your fragile little ego."

The Toons that Pegasus had set on the field were now scooped up by the paper shield of Toon Reversal, and were just as quickly returned to the animated Hell from whence they came. And once the Toons were tucked away, the book's thousands of pages began spinning rapidly, searching desperately for that which had been called to the field.

And after several hundred swift inspections the text was found.

A slow growl of thunder wafted across the field, seemingly from Toon World itself, and there was an ominous sensation upon the air as the massive tome turned towards Kaiba and Botan. They could already sense that a dark and sinister power was about to be awakened, but exactly what kind of darkness remained to be seen.

"Now, it is time to arise, my adorable deity of damnation!"

The book opened, its spine barely able to support the width of this stretch, and even the hardback covers cracked beneath the strain. A thousand beams of pitch black light surged forth from the pages, blinding all the other duelists and monsters; even Obelisk himself had to shield his eyes. Nothing could be seen, and the only noise was a tumultuous wind that resembled the wails of dying babies.

But it was over before it began…and as Kaiba looked onto Pegasus's latest monster, he almost wished that the storm of black would return.

It was indeed some kind of caricature of Obelisk, and a poorly done one at that. Its titanic arms were out of proportion, with grossly oversized biceps that took up the entirety of the upper arm, and fists that were triple the normal size. It also had a pair of extraordinarily short legs that were half the length of the arms. The beast's wings were scrunched up behind it, and if stretched would have the same length as a mere condor's. And the Toon Obelisk, instead of a brutal yet astute visage like the original, had a bloated distortion of that face, with a gleaming Chesire grin, eyes of a similar circumference to a satellite telescope lens, and a crest of horns that spread out in all random directions. With a high-pitched cackle it stood at full height, which was about half that of the true god card. (4000/4000)

The others looked up at this squat and repulsive divinity, unsure of exactly what to say about it. The Toon God was fascinatingly hideous, and no one was able to take their eyes off it.

It was Kaiba that decided to break the silence. "If you're just about done blaspheming the gods, I'll place one card face down and end my turn."_ It would be pointless to attack that monstrous sin against nature, at least while his Toon World is on the field. In the meantime, all we can hope to do is hold off that thing's attack for as long as possible._

Tsubaki kept silent as she drew her card._ Perfect. So even without the Eye this egotistical fruit actually can serve a purpose. Well, it's time I step up the game in kind, and inflict a little well-deserved pain on Kaiba, and show him what true power is._

Unnoticed by anyone, Tsubaki's old curse mark was making itself known, as a pink gridiron began to take shape along her right eye. 

"Alright, Kaiba, it's time I end this duel and send you back to the darkness of your eternal soul! And it will start when I summon my Granadora to the field in attack mode!"

Another reptile was summoned, but it was by no means one of normalcy. The lizard had something of a rotund figure, a lashing tail, two talons for arms, and a grotesque fanged head. (1900/700) "Now, because of the effect of Granadora, I gain 1000 life points when it is summoned, but if it is destroyed I lose 2000 life points." (2000/2000) (1050/3000) "However, I doubt that will make much difference in the end, so I'll place a card face down as well, and end my turn."

"Ok, my move." Botan drew yet another card. _Ok, I only have one turn before Pegasus's Toon Obelisk can attack, and neither of us actually have any Toons to allow for defense. However, I can counter with something else._

"Alright, I summon Valkyrie Gondul to the field in attack mode!" Botan's latest Valkyrie had a slightly intellectual appearance, with a thin, drawn face, platinum hair, silver armor, and dull red eyes. (1900/500) And by the effect of the Valhalla card, it gained even more attack power. (2400/500) "And by Gondul's effect, I can draw cards equal to a number of monsters I remove from the graveyard, so I'll say goodbye to Valkyrie Mist. I'll then place that card face down and end my turn." 

_Seto, can you hear me?_

There was a pause as Kaiba removed himself from the game for a moment.

_Yeah. Is something wrong?_

_Listen, there's something wrong here, I can sense it. These two aren't ordinary thugs, especially Pegasus, so be careful._

_Don't worry. Remember, I have the true Egyptian God Card, and I already have a plan in case Pegasus tries something._

_Thanks. And if worse comes to worse I've got your back._

"My move! Now, because my oh-so-cute god was summoned in Kaiba's turn, that means he can attack during this turn. But before that I think I'll summon Toon Reflect Bounder in attack mode!" Yet another vile Toon was summoned, this time a deranged mechanic soldier with a red cloak that was too big for it and mirrors that almost prevented it from seeing due to their unwieldy girth. (1700/1000) "This of course means that my weakest monster is now one that, if attacked, will cost you the duel. I am aware of your Des Counterblow as well, so for now my latest Toon cannot attack. My Toon God Card, however, is under no such danger of demise! Toon Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Botan's life points directly, at the cost of 500 of my own life points! Zany Fist of Fate!" (2000/2000) (1050/2500) With another crazed laugh, the animated deity began bouncing madly on what looked like an ankh with a pogo stick built into it, and in the same motion swinging his hand wildly about, meaning anything in the way of the attack would be crushed…including the Grim Reaper. 

_"PEGASUS, YOU BASTARD!"_

"Sorry, Kaiba, but your little lovebird was open to an attack, so I seized the opportunity. It'd be the same for you, wouldn't it?"

"Good point. However, you made one fatal mistake: you're not dealing with amateur hour here! I activate the Magic card, Command Silencer, to negate your attack and give me the opportunity to draw one card!"

Toon Obelisk, despite being of godlike status, was still bound by the weaknesses of hearing, and so was halted by a sudden incapability to discern his master's command any longer, and so he stepped back and covered his ears, sobbing like a baby.

"I won't let you hurt her, Pegasus."

The older man, reminiscing on his last encounter with the young entrepreneur, got a quite deranged look of amusement on his face.

"Funny. Isn't that what you said about Mokuba? At any rate I end my turn, and because Toon Obelisk attacked you this turn I must discard two cards from the top of my deck. Your move."

Kaiba drew, rather uncertain of how to approach the situation. On the one hand, he could go after Tsubaki's lone Granadora, but he had a suspicion that the face down card was meant to stop Obelisk's power. Then there was the Toon God Card; Kaiba could not be certain if there was a Toon Slifer or Toon Ra waiting in the wings. And of course, he could not try to block Pegasus's attack in the same manner as he had before.

For the moment, he would have to play defensive.

"Ok. I'll place a monster in defense mode, and one card face down. Your move, Tsubaki."

"Very well." _Kaiba's starting to worry; I can see it in his eyes. His attention is also split between protecting Botan and protecting himself, and that will be what costs him today._

"I hope you do realize, Kaiba, that eventually you are going to run out of options. I doubt you will be able to stop Toon Obelisk forever, and eventually Botan is going to lose this duel. She's the weak link in your chain." Kaiba, in response, got a look of smug superiority. "I doubt that. You see, Tsubaki, while you and Pegasus have been working separately, Botan and I have been brilliantly coordinating each and every move. And what is to say that Pegasus won't turn on you?" 

The curse mark upon her face increased slightly, as a trace of fear passed over her. But she quickly masked it.

"Your psychological manipulations may have worked on someone else, but that won't be the case for me. You see, while you have dealt with some pathetic duelists whose minds are simplistic and feeble, I have been in direct combat with a being of a much more complex sort. She has more raw brutality and strength within her than you could ever hope to muster between the two of you. Now, back to the duel!" Another draw._ Yes! This is just what I needed._ "I summon Aya the Cursed in attack mode!" Tsubaki's next monster was another spell caster, a blonde maiden with white irises and flowing azure and green robes, and armed with a golden trident. (1000/500) "I'll then activate my monster's special ability, to sacrifice it and summon Aya the Transformed in its place!" The mage now morphed itself, the legs fusing and the skin falling away in such a way as to reveal a stunning mermaid, with crystal eyes that seemed to be infinite, covered in red and blue scales and pure white hair, but still held the trident. (2200/2000) "I'll then discard five cards from the top of my deck, by the effect of Aya, and increase my life points by 100 times that amount." As Tsubaki paid the necessary cost, Aya's trident coursed with ancient life energy, with which she enhanced her mistress's life points. (2000/2000) (1550/2500) "I will then activate the Magic card, Silent Death, which allows me to resurrect Gagagigo to the field in defense mode, so long as it may no longer attack during this duel." As she activated the card, the priestess held her hand over the monster zone where Gagagigo was originally placed upon, whereupon a cord of fused demonic aura and Shadow magic emerged from her outstretched palm and into the zone. At the same time, a similar cable burst through the ground, from which dangled the gruesome lizard warrior. "Finally, I will activate the key to my ultimate strategy,_ for I play the Magic card, Soul of the Dark Serpent!"_

Kaiba and Pegasus knew what this meant as soon as she said it. This duel was about to go into the final stages.

And Tsubaki? The curse mark now took its truest form, for it now covered the entirety of her face.

"KAIBA! BOTAN! YOU HAD NO IDEA THAT I HELD SUCH A CARD, DID YOU? WELL, IT IS INDEED MY RAREST CARD, AND COMBINED WITH THE FURY OF THE TOON EGYPTIAN GOD CARDS, YOU SHALL NOT EMERGE FROM THIS DUEL ALIVE!"

Kaiba, in turn, looked over at Botan, who was utterly confused over the situation.

_If Tsubaki plays that card, then there will be only one way to stop it._

And against the power of the Toon Egyptian Gods and the dark power about to be reawakened, Kaiba knew he would need to summon another monster, a creature he prayed he would never have to use again… 

"Let's end this, Tsubaki!"

"My sentiments exactly, Kaiba!"

Rosewater Tower

Paradigm. The city without memories, without a past, presumably without a future, and now the war zone for the greatest battle to ever take place.

_Over 47 years ago, the denizens of this place lost all their memories, and at the same time all sense of the inner darkness that plagued their hearts. But soon the evil that lurks in mankind shall be used as the driving force for the true leviathan, and those most sinful of beasts shall feel the divine fury of the purification of this world._

But in all honesty, thought Dartz, there was not much that could be done in this city that he could not have done elsewhere. The only difference was that the two were there, the Souls of Darkness that would bring his god back into the world.

And before long, those powers would belong to him.

"Interesting that you would be here, Dartz, seeing as your rival is so very close."

The low, grating voice of Dartz's contact to the Union cracked over his ears like a shattered bell, and without even looking behind him he could tell who it was.

"So did you get what I wanted?"

"Whole transcript of the meeting, right here, sir." With a quivering hand the scrawny adolescent who served as the man's assistant, gave Dartz what he had requested.

"Excellent. Now, did you arrange everything?"

"Yes. 500 shares of New Paradigm Corp, sent directly to your accounts in Paradision. You'd better pray this plan of yours doesn't fail, Dartz, or we're both screwed."

"Come now, Luther. I have yet to steer you wrong in the time we have been involved in each other's affairs. And besides, you are in no position to make demands of me."

Luther Kerzenlicht, unlike those around him, knew exactly when to keep his mouth shut. "Fair enough."

"Now, onto a matter of greater importance. Did you intercept Jagenshi's latest plans?"

"Sorry. Only Vera is allowed to see those files. However, they will be put to vote within the coming days, and I'll get you the data then."

It hadn't gone exactly as planned, but as far as Dartz was concerned, Luther was playing into his hands. And it wouldn't really matter if Hiei's latest scheme was kept silent; already his other, much older plans were coming to fruition.

"That will be all, Luther."

Turning upon his heel, Dartz walked away from his European comrade. So far so good; Kikyo was dead, Inuyasha was about to fall to the Seal, the Pharaoh was weakened, and soon the DOOM Soldiers would be able to find him. _The time draws near, New Paradigm City. You sinners may have survived the artificial Leviathan, but the ascension of the true Leviathan shall leave all of you bloodied and devastated._

Especially the Pharaoh, and especially Kagome, for they were the darkest of all. They were wicked, overbearing, and so ensconced were they in each other that neither could see the depth of sin in each other's hearts. Too long had the monarch and the miko been allowed to worship before their altar of blood, inequity, and sacrilege, and soon they would pay for their impiety…by offering up their souls to the great Leviathan. 

And then there was Hiei, the Demon God of Paradigm. He too was a being of evil, but on a much different level of darkness. While he had not committed the the misdeeds that Yami and Kagome had, he was still a demon ruled by avarice and bloodlust, and all those that served under him were just as despicable.

They would all be demolished; it was only a matter of time.

_Ye that worship the Idol of Darkness, your time draws near to hand. And the Orichalcos God shall reveal to you all your shortcomings…_

Kagome vs. Yami no Marik

"It is time, my Winged Dragon! Rise up, and reveal your divine might to all the infidels that stand before ye now! Break free of the bindings of your ancient prison, and condemn those that stand against me, the true Pharaoh of Egypt!"

And now, the Orb of Ra cracked, each individual component shattering and tumbling to the ground, dissipating as it happened, to reveal the third, and final, Egyptian God Monster.

When the light the Orb emitted finally died down, the avatar of the gods was revealed to be another massive dragon, but one much different from that of Osiris. Instead, the spirit of this beast of destruction was sealed in bright golden armor, with massive eagle wings spreading out behind it, and a set of three-taloned claws that once tore through the flesh of Apep. A similar set of claws served as the feet of this creature, while a lashing golden tail brought up the rear. And the eyes, such wicked eyes that pierced the shadows of the mind and revealed the darkness of the sun. (11100/2000)

The Pharaoh could not believe it. After the struggles he had undergone at the hands of this monster, after all the time it had taken to crush it, would it emerge to take her away from him?

"Well now. It appears that the tables have turned in my favor, Lady Kagome. Your meaningless seraphs cannot hope to endure the wrath of the Sun God himself, and that wrath shall be demonstrated at this very moment! Now, my Dragon, show the Pharaoh and the Priestess the powers of destiny!"

Kagome, of course, was not particularly frightened, even by the massive attack strength of Yami no Marik's god dragon. She still had her Sanctuary on the field, meaning that even if her monsters were destroyed, she would not lose any life points.

The spirit, however, had something else in mind.

"Come now, young one, did you honestly expect me to summon this merely for its attack power? On the contrary, the Winged Dragon has many special capabilities that allow for the ultimate strategy! In one single monster is held the power to demolish entire armies, and I will make the demonstration of that power quite instructive! Winged Dragon of Ra, Egyptian God Phoenix!"

Almost instantly, the great dragon let pour from its mouth a river of ethereal flames, through which a divine magic unseen in the mortal world since the days of the Shadow Games flowed. And being of a godlike status, Ra was able to manipulate the course of this fire, in such a way as to consume the entirety of its body in the blaze.

"You see, Kagome, by paying 1000 of my life points, I am allowed to slaughter one of your monsters using the godfire of Egyptian God Phoenix, but you have only seen the beginning of my monster's grandeur." (1300/1100) "Rise, my Phoenix, and send the fires of the gods upon Yudrae-Judge of Mind!"

Having now wreathed itself in the fires, the Winged Dragon of Ra spread out its conflagrated pinions and rose into the heavens as would the blazing entity from which it was spawned, enveloping the entire field in a glorious radience that rang with an internal malevolence. All who witnessed this ascension knew, in some unconscious manner, that whatever the dragon was about to do would devastate anything that stood in its path.

"Judge of Mind, I damn you to Hell!"

And at that very moment, the divine beast hurled itself forth, shattering through the barrier of the Sanctuary and consuming Yudrae in its ancient flames. And unable to do anything as it was slowly burned alive, the Judge barely managed to read his own final rites before there was nothing left of him but a pile of blood-soaked ashes.

"And that is only the beginning, my dear. Remember, my Egyptian God also has an attack power that is currently unrivaled, and such an attack shall I rain down upon your defense position monster! Winged Dragon of Ra, use your God Breath Cannon upon Kagome's defense!"

The great dragon, having dispelled the fires it has used to annihilate Yudrae, now turned its wicked gaze upon the face down monster. And if she had to guess, Kagome could almost see it smile.

With a roar to shake the heavens themselves, Ra drew from the depths of its soul another surge of flames, only this time they focused themselves to form a ring about its neck, which held there for a moment. Until, in a single flare, the power of Ra was hurled forth in an orb of the divine flame that slammed unhindered into the surface of the card, creating a flash that blinded all for a moment. And when visibility was regained, all that was left of the monster was the seared profile of a small cherub.

It was at this point that Kagome cracked a clever little smirk.

"Thanks, Yami no Marik. By attacking my face down monster, Skelengel, you activated its special effect, which lets me draw a card from my deck." Kagome did as the card dictated._ This will help, but I need something that will be able to take down his Winged Dragon, and fast._

"As if it matters. This duel is almost mine anyways, but just in case I'll place one card face down and end my turn. But what hope have you, Kagome, when you must stare into the wrath of God with only some petty avatars and the remnants of a dead priestess's waning strength?"

Kagome's eyes flashed in hate at this statement. He had compared her to Kikyo one too many times, and now the impudent spirit would have to pay.

"My move, and I know exactly what to do with it. I'll start by activating the Magic card, Oracle of Resurrection, which allows me to discard my entire hand and replace it with any five cards from my deck! It also lets me revive one of the monsters in my graveyard, so return in defense mode, Gemini Elf!" Once again, Kagome's set of twins emerged onto the field. "Of course, because I need to pay 200 life points for every turn my monster remains on the field, I won't keep her on the field for too long, so I'll sacrifice her to summon Yusui-Judge of Virtue to the field in attack mode!" Once again the elves were offered up, and in their place emerged an angel with flowing robes of silver which were trimmed with a shimmering evergreen at the hem and sleeves, while her face was one of near pure innocence. With lengthy black hair, deep, virtuous brown eyes, and a single geranium bloom nestled gently betwixt her right index and middle fingers, this particular judge did not seem to be a creature of violence, which explained why she was the only one played thus far with a mirage-like platinum halo hovering inches above her head. (2400/1800) "Now I activate…"

"Not so fast, young priestess! I activate the card I played face down, Penalty Game; because you only have four cards in your hand at the moment, I am allowed to activate one of two effects. The first is to prevent you from drawing during your next draw phase, but I'll refrain from using that one. The next effect is much more devastating, for it prevents you from activating any magic or trap cards during the turn in which it is activated, so I think the decision is obvious." _But knowing this airhead, it wouldn't really matter what I picked…_

"Fine. I'll just place two cards face down to end my turn."

"Now, back to the true duelist."_ Irregardless of her current lead, I know that little Kagome and her judges shall soon crumble beneath the incomparable wrath of the Winged Dragon of Ra and its ancient fires. And sadly for her, I already have a plan in mind to eradicate her last pathetic attempt at salvation._

"It all ends here, Kagome. I activate the Hand Rebirth Magic card, which forces us both to discard our currents hands and draw a fresh one of five cards, and judging from the look on your face, this wasn't exactly a welcome surprise." Kagome indeed looked sick as she was forced to discard her well-planned strategy at the hands of the lunatic, but it would at least give her five new cards. "Next, I'll activate the card known as Dian Keto the Cure Master, to increase my life points by 1000." As the second card was played. A flurry of powdered balms fell down around him and healed his Shadow wounds. (1300/2100) "I will then summon the beast known as Gil Gars in attack mode, followed by the activation of the Snatch Steal Magic card, to take control of Yusui as well!" The next monster of Yami no Marik's was a hideous demonic soldier, clad in unusually sophisticated mechanical armor for a demon, with a hefty scimitar-like blade in one hand and thick spikes all over the aforementioned outfitting. (1800/1200) Subsequently, a pair of heavily muscled thugs bolted forward and accosted Kagome's peaceful angel, and drew her to Yami no Marik's side of the field. "However, I have other reasons for this move that you could never have predicted, for my intent is to sacrifice these monsters and add their overall strength to my own Egyptian God!" And as he claimed, the beast sent forth a pair of jagged sunbeams into the skulls of both monsters, draining from them their life and soul energies almost instantaneously, and assimilating these powers into the soul of the dragon itself. (15200/5000) "Finally, I shall offer up 1000 more life points to initiate Egyptian God Phoenix and destroy Yuez, your final monster!" (1300/1100)

But even as Ra let fly its internal bonfires, Yami could not help but wonder as to why Yami no Marik was playing the God Card this way. Normally, he would not focus so much on the Egyptian God Phoenix technique, but rather attempt the much more devastating point-to-point transfer effect known simply as One Turn Kill. Apparently he was waiting for something, or at best attempting to crush Kagome as swiftly as possible.

Knowing Yami no Marik, it was likely the former.

The Winged Dragon, in all of its pseudo-diurnal glory, rose forth once again, and cast the might of the heavens upon Yuez, who was in turn incinerated without a trace. "And now, you no longer have any monsters on the field to protect you, and your Sky Sanctuary is essentially useless to you. Any traps or magic cards you activate shall mean nothing to Ra, and with nothing to save your life points, it would almost certainly kill you upon impact. In this case, however, I would be more concerned about saving your soul than your life, for the torments of the Shadow Realm continue even beyond the ends of time!" With a demented smirk, the spirit turned in Yami's direction. "Oh, and by the way, Pharaoh, if you have anything to say to your little girlfriend, I suggest you say it now."

"No need, spirit. You cannot hope to beat her, so I need not say goodbye just yet."

"Foolish idealism, nothing more. Even you cannot deny that this pretty little airhead is about to lose it all to me; it's hopeless in any event. So why don't you just hold your tongue about her and let me continue with her inevitable damnation?"

Kagome was, of course, silent, but a slight pink tinge appeared on her cheeks, followed immediately thereafter by a warm half-smile.

Yami no Marik, however, did not notice, and if he did, it was of no importance to him anyway. To him, Kagome was simply another chapter to close.

"THE TIME HAS COME! WINGED DRAGON OF RA, ATTACK THE PRIESTESS'S LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY AND END THIS DUEL NOW!"

Once more the great beast opened its gaping maw, each rancid breath still radiating heat, and for the second time the fires of Hell were collected around its neck, preparing to be cast forth in a blaze of destruction and bloodshed that would be recounted in history for millennia to come. But the Pharaoh cared not for that; the fused malevolence of Ra and the Shadow Games had taken far too many in Battle City, and he would not allow such a thing to happen to Kagome.

Yet there was nothing he could do. His Shadow powers had barely been enough to save Joey and Mai last time, so even if he managed to intercept the attack again, it would do her no good.

And it was with laden heart that he stood and watched the blast sail down, directly towards his truest love in the world, praying that the cards she had played would save her.

_I have total trust in you._

Would that trust be enough was the question, a question soon to be answered. 

"I activate the card I had face down, Heaven Mirror, which allows me to negate your attack and increase my life points by 1000!" An instant before the orb of destruction crashed into her, a massive silver mirror with a pearl frame and an archangel serving as the main decoration intercepted the attack, and transferred it into a ray of bluish-white light which was absorbed by her Duel Gauntlet. (2300/1100)_ Thanks, Yami._

The Pharaoh himself was impressed; never had he seen such adept handling of cards against an Egyptian God Monster before. 

And Yami no Marik was of course quite livid.

"You must be very proud of yourself, little girl, to have stood so long against an Egyptian God Card. However, eventually you shall have to do battle with my monster. So for now I'll place one card face down and end my turn, and always remember that I shall crush you and your very soul before all is said and done."

Kagome, in the meantime, drew her next card.

"Ok, Yami no Marik, I think it's time I take a slightly different approach to this duel. I've been playing pretty much defensive so far, and now I'll go on the attack, by activating Monster Reborn to revive Yusui-Judge of Virtue!" Kagome's pacifistic angel was reborn to the field from the golden ankh. "Next, I'll summon Angel of Creation-Venus to the field in attack mode!" Another angel was called forth, but this particular seraph was not like the others, in that it had a sort of Grecian countenance, as well as olive robes, flaxen gold hair, bronze-hued wings, and a set of 3 mysterious crystal orbs surrounding it. (1600/0) "For my next move, I'll activate Venus's special effect, and pay 1500 life points to special summon all three of the Holy Shine Spheres in my deck to the field in defense mode!" (800/1100) After the cost had been paid, Venus allowed her three servants to step onto the field, yet they still hovered about her. (500/500) (500/500) (500/500)

"Interesting attack choice, little one, but I'm afraid that it will not work. Remember, my Winged Dragon of Ra is completely immune to destruction by Magic, Trap, or Monster effects. Your pathetic attack is nothing compared to the wrath of the gods."

"Oh really? Well, perhaps you'd like to let me finish up before you start shooting off at the mouth. As I was saying, I'll then activate the Magic card, United We Stand, which I'll equip to Yusui to increase her attack and defense by 4000 points!" Once again the set of gauntlets appeared and attached themselves, to Yusui's arms in this case. (6400/5800) "And finally, I'll play the card that will end this duel: Shooting Star Bow-Ceal!"

Yami knew what this meant almost immediately, and unless Yami no Marik had some kind of counterattack planned, then victory was hers.

"I see you are keeping in touch with your origins, young one. But in all honesty, what could a mere bolt do against Ra?"

"You have no idea what this card does, do you?" At that very moment another equipment came into Yusui's hands, a heavy bow made of sterling silver and etched with a sort of burgundy ceramic on both ends. (5400/5800) "While the card does make my monster lose 1000 of its attack points, it also comes with an ability that'll end this in one turn: the effect of allowing the equipped monster to attack your life points directly! And since Yusui still has 5400 attack points, this duel will end with that attack!"

For only a brief instant, Yami no Marik had a flaring sensation of terror at once again losing to his own Shadow Game, but this feeling was lost amidst his own recollection of what he had on the field.

Yami knew the instant he saw the deranged look on the devil's face that Kagome had walked right into a trap. And yet again, there was nothing he could do.

"Thank you, Kagome; you fell directly into my hands! I activate the Trap Card, Silent Doom, which shall reduce the attack power of your monsters directly to 0, and add the amount lost to my life points!" And as the Trap activated, all of Kagome's monsters, Yusui in particular, collapsed to the ground as their very essence was bled away and absorbed in the demon's Duel Gauntlet. (0/0) (0/0) (0/0) (0/0) (0/0) (2300/9600)

Kagome could not believe it. In one massively idiotic move, she had allowed Yami no Marik to increase his life points over eight fold, and now he was in a position to wipe out her life points with one great attack.

"Fine. That'll end my turn."

"Excellent; now, I can continue on with my plan. And I probably should tell you this before I cast you down: my plan was never to defeat you using the Egyptian God Phoenix, but with a capability that is much more devastating. You ought to remember, Pharaoh; after all, you were on the receiving end of this effect the last time I used it."

Kagome, having never faced the Egyptian God before, turned towards her newfound love with a sort of apprehension. "Yami, what's he talking about?"

The Pharaoh mirrored her look of nervousness as he recalled a similar situation in Battle City.

"The Winged Dragon of Ra…has one more attack boost technique, and if played correctly could make him unstoppable. And now Yami no Marik has created that ideal circumstance."

"How right you are, Pharaoh. And now, I activate the deadliest of Ra's ability's, known as…ONE TURN KILL!"

To Be Continued

Not too shabby.

Ok, next chapter we determine the results of Enzeru's fight with Akuren, Tsubaki's rarest card reveals its true power, Yusuke considers the situation, not for the first time, Roger begins his next duel, Raphael vs. Inuyasha comes to the homestretch, Kagome faces Ra's true force, and the Union shows more of itself.

Ok, the original cards:

Lightspeed Summoning, Lightning Drillman, any non-anime/TCG Angel monsters/cards, all Valkyrie monsters, Chupacabra, Iras, Ryoko, and any Guardian/Guardian-based cards not seen in the anime or TCG belong to Time Mage. Aya belongs to Helldragon, and I own Soul of the Dark Serpent, the Serpents of Gale and Thunder, Carnal Gatekeeper, and Toon Reflect Bounder.

Enzeru belongs to Time Mage as well. Let me know if I missed anything.

Ok, see ya next update.


	41. Recollection and the Thunder of the Anci

Disclaimer: Not a lot to say.

Alright, Chapter 40 marked several key instances in the Black Shadow master plan: Schwarzvald's discovery, and the surprising return of the wind sorceress Kagura. Also, Joey faced Jin in the first rounds of their duel, Kagome faced Ra, Tsubaki activated her rarest card, Dartz revealed his connection with the Union, and Inuyasha called forth the power of the ancient Seal of Orichalcos. Also, the truth of Akuren's origins was at last revealed.

Chapter 41 will open the first truly serious moment for Yusuke, as Roger does battle with Espa Roba for the memories of the psychic duelist. Kagome must now contend with, and topple, Ra's true might, the cunning manipulation of Soul of the Dark Serpent is unleashed, the results of Akuren's conflict are unveiled, Inuyasha and Raphael bring their duel to the breaking point, and the Union unveils more of its innermost workings.

BTW: Soul of the Dark Serpent, like Stromburg Castle of Gold, is supposed to be broken.

Let's roll.

Chapter 40: Recollection and the Thunder of the Ancient Ones

Roger vs. Espa Roba

The hands were drawn, the life points were set, and the duel for memory was about to begin.

"Ok, I'll start by placing three cards face down, and then I'll place a monster into face down defense mode, and that will end my turn." _If he does have memories, then he's either with Hiei, or is a Tomato himself. Either way, we're about to find out._

"My move, negotiator."_ Not too bad._ "Before I begin this duel, I should probably inform you that this deck is quite unlike any other ever seen before, and a deck that is not commonly used at all. However, seeing as circumstances have forced me to duel you, I decided to…experiment a little. And now it's time for you to experience the fruits of my labor. I activate the Polymerization Magic card to fuse E-Hero Clayman and E-Hero Burst Lady so I can summon E-Hero Rampart Gunner in defense mode!" 

Roger could not believe it. An Elemental Hero deck, here in such a cutthroat tournament; that was certainly an interesting deck to experiment with.

At any rate, the fused creature was no ordinary superhero, seeing as it was a vaguely feminine warrior contained in a thick, dull grey armor with a massive rapid fire cannon and blast shield. (2000/2500) "But let's not forget that my monster has a special ability: the ability to attack you directly with half of its original strength while in defense mode. Of course, since you have 3 face down cards, it would indeed be wise to make certain that you aren't hiding anything, so I'll play the Heavy Storm Magic card to wipe them all out!" The grand tempest descended almost instantly, tearing to pieces what few cards Roger had to defend himself…or so it would have happened, had Roger not activated a card to save himself.

"I activate the Spell Shield Type 8 Trap card, to discard one card from my hand and negate the activation of your Magic!" At that very moment, another of Roger's machines, a gleaming pod of some unknown origin, launched itself into the heart of the storm and activated 8 panels and legs from its main console. The device then rotated the mechanisms at incomprehensible velocity, creating what Makai scientists call a "spell vacuum", which dissipated the hurricane. "Anything else?"

"Actually, yes. I'll place one card face down, and attack you directly with the Rampart Gunner anyway."

The bizarre hero, upon acknowledging that her master had made a command, shifted the grossly oversized weapon so that it was aimed directly at Roger, and initiated the firing mechanism so that it sprayed out a flurry of heavy artillery shells that could demolish a tank directly towards the negotiator.

Roger, however, had other plans.

"I activate the second card I had face down, Zero Gravity, which forces all face up monsters on the field into the opposite of their current position, and since your Rampart Gunner can only attack directly if it is in defense mode, your monster now has to attack my face down monster instead."

"Ok, I will!"

As soon as the gunner stood up, she was forced to redirect her barrage towards the lone monster on Roger's side of the field, which, after the shell and smoke from the attack parted, was revealed to be a certain futuristic pod of mass destruction better known as Cyber Jar. However, the bomb had no need to trigger its own detonation, for the artillery fire did that for him. So in an instant, the characteristic flash of blazing yellow light overtook the entire field, and if there was any life on the field, it was instantaneously exterminated.

Angel, who just so happened to know a little about the game from her experiences in Paradigm, had to admit that Roger was doing pretty well for himself. So far he'd been able to wipe out Roba's attack advantage, as well as potentially gain advantage_. Let's see if you can follow it up, Roger._

"Alright, negotiator, by the second effect of Cyber Jar, I summon E-Hero Featherman, E-Hero Sparkman, and Friend Dog to the field in attack mode! And what of you?"

"Not too bad, if I do say so myself. I summon X-Head Cannon, Mechanicalchaser, Robotic Knight, and another face down monster to the field."

And so the battle of machine and hero commenced, in a manner almost eerily similar to the classical graphic novels of old. On Roba's side stood the heroes, noble warriors of truth and justice, standing up for the underdog and fighting for the protection of liberty and freedom, which is somewhat ironic because Espa Roba stood for none of these. On the frontlines was the ever faithful canine sidekick of the E-Heroes, Friend Dog although it seemed to be more of a mechanical creature in its cybernetic armor. (800/1200) To the left of the hound was one of the apparent leaders of the group, a majestic hovering commandant of the skies clad in armor made from an unorthodox mixture of steel and feathers that also resulted in eagle wings. (1000/1000) And the final hero was more technology oriented, as a human with a incredibly complex electrical channeling suit which rerouted energy into his hands. (1600/1400) As for Roger, his side of the field stood for the mechanical menace, the computerized foot soldiers of a scientist gone mad and desperate to take over the world. From the Napoleonic-looking Robotic Knight (1600/1800), to his long range fire android (1800/1500), and especially his predatory automaton hunter (1850/800), the monsters Roger had summoned had stood as longtime rivals to the E-Heroes…and this duel would settle the grudge.

"No luck for you, I suppose."

"Actually, Roger, everything has gone as I predicted, so I'll continue the move by activating my Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards. Next, I'll activate the Brain Control Magic card, to take control of your Mechanicalchaser!" The next card played was what seemed to be a human brain with two elastic arms jutting out of both sides of the cerebrum, both of which snaked forth and ensnared the robotic warlord, at the same time deluding it with a subliminal message that commanded it to serve Espa Roba. "However, I'm not quite done yet. I'll then sacrifice Friend Dog and your machine so that I can summon E-Hero Edgeman to the field in attack mode!"

The monsters designated were almost immediately burnt away by a snap of crimson light, and in their place stood an even stronger hero then had been played thus far. Towering like a modern day Goliath over everything else stood a massive knight, sealed away in gleaming armor of gold with a channeling crystal built into his head. A lengthy set of jagged horns were built into the top of the helm, and eyes that shrieked for blood and carnage flared out from the visor. (2600/1600) "For my next move, I'll activate the Magic card known as Mesmeric Control, which prevents you from changing the positions of any monsters on the field next turn." In Edgeman's left hand appeared a delicate crystal pendulum held by a gossamer silk cord, which he used to hypnotize the opposing forces into incoherence. "I'll end by placing one more card face down. Your move."

"So it seems you aren't too bad at all. My move." _Damn it, he's got my monsters cornered already, and that Edgeman isn't helping matters. On the other hand, his other monsters are almost completely defenseless, so I might have a way to take them down."_I'll start by sacrificing my Robotic Knight to summon the monster known as Eight-Legged Terror in attack mode!" Roger's next monster, which replaced Robotic Knight, was a much more sinister mechanism, an eight-legged monstrosity with thousands of bladed arms, a pair of radar scanners, and an almost demonic upper torso. (1500/1200) "Next, I'll play the Magic card, Clockwork Night, which will change all of your heroes into machines and lower their attack strength by 500 points, while my monster gains that amount." And as stated, the three heroes changed form horrifically. On Edgeman it was unnoticed because of the armor, but for Featherman and Sparkman it was quite the opposite, for their limbs transformed into android mechanisms, their visages became metal plating, and the movements they took were slow and cumbersome. (2100/1600) (500/1000) (1100/1400) (2000/1200) "And now for the fun part. There's a reason that my Terror is so weak for its level, and that is the fact that it can attack three time per turn! And just to make sure my plan works, I'll equip my Terror with the Big Bang Shot card, to increase its attack even further and give it the ability to inflict defense mode damage!" On all eight legs materialized the rocket booster that was the Big Bang Shot project. (2400/1200) "Now, Eight Legged Terror, destroy all three of Espa Roba's monsters!"

With movements befitting the most advanced of androids, the great machine leapt into the air and launched three of its arms towards the monsters, each arm about to disembowel the heroes.

Espa Roba had seen such an offensive coming…and was ready to counteract it.

"I activate my face down card, Negate Attack, to stop you from destroying any of my monsters on the field for this turn." And at that moment, a triad of portals ripped gaping holes in the space-time continuum, and absorbed every strike.

"Ok, that ought to be enough for now. Your move."

"And one I shall take full advantage of indeed." Behind his ear, Espa heard a slight radio crackle, but ignored it. "I'll begin this round by activating the card I had face down, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and discard two. Next, I'll play the card known as System Down, to pay 1000 life points and remove from play all of your Machine monsters in the grave and on the field from play." (4000/3000)

Unfortunately for Roger, every single one of his monsters was a machine of some kind, so all he could do was watch as his Terror and X-Head became consumed with massive systematic errors. And before long, both monsters crumbled into oblivion, as did the creatures that had already fallen.

"Next, I'll activate the Magic card, Fusion Sage, to add a second Polymerization to my hand. I will then activate the card, to fuse E-Hero Featherman and the second Burst Lady I drew to create E-Hero Flaming Wingman!"

Another fused monster was beckoned, and it was easily the most menacing of those played so far. Standing next to Edgeman as a comrade was now a cruel-looking chimera, with a dragon head that seemed to be carved of fire and blood, a heavily muscled body of green, a single massive wing on his left shoulder, and a horrific claw on that side. But it was his face that disturbed Roger the most, as it was an almost mask-like affair that belied a deeper evil never found in the brave warriors of the olden comic books. (2100/1200)

"And before I forget, Roger Smith, I still have a card in my hand to activate. I play the Field Magic card, Skyscraper!"

Rosewater Tower A demon who wanted to be God, a lunatic from Atlantis who desired the purging of the universe, and a boy with two magic necklaces. It was more than enough to warrant a shot or two of tequila. 

As far back as she could remember, Vera had been of the opinion that there were powers involved in her life that she could not exactly pinpoint. Everywhere she went, she could feel the cold gaze of…something, constantly on her shoulder, and for many years she had believed that gaze was from the eyes of the Oedipus wannabe. Even in her brief stay in the land of the dead she felt it, even as she plunged into the gaping maw of the Behemoth. And now, as the CEO of the corporation which held an uncontested monopoly over every business and government institution in New Paradigm…

_You should be dead, Rosewater. So why is the ghost of your tyranny and deception still haunting this place?_

The tequila had a minimal effect on Vera as she desperately struggled to quiet the beast inside her, and at the same time hoping she didn't become an alcoholic like Hiei. But the odds of being on his level of self-destruction were slim in any case. 

It was at this point that the receptionist entered.

"Ms. Ronstadt, there is an Agent 251 here to see you."

"Send him in at once."

It would not last, or at least she hoped it wouldn't. She wanted nothing more than to bury the Rosewater empire, to bring the Union the freedom to return to Paradigm, and rebuild it in their own image. And even Hiei would crumble beneath the strain of the coalition of exiles turned supreme governmental power. All was going as planned, the 3 other superpowers could not begin to understand their own defeat.

And not even Agent 340's treachery could stop her this time.

The door creaked open, to reveal the infamous Luther Kerzenlicht, with a look of smug certainty on his face.

"Well?"

"Congratulations, Agent 12. You now have a mole in every single one of our enemy's organizations."

Vera cracked a grim smile at this. Perhaps there was hope for the situation yet.

"How long will it take to gather ze statistics we need?"

"It will have to be soon. Hiei, Naraku, and Dartz aren't morons; once they find the plants they'll kill them, and that won't take long at all. If any of them figure out who sent the agents, they'll come after us, and if Hiei or anyone else should discover we're working for the other side as well…"

There was no need to explain what Luther trailed off at.

"Zey are throwaway agents, 251. If Jagenshi or those other morons get too close I can simply order their execution. Besides, all three of them need ze Union; zey will not turn upon us for fear of losing their political sway."

"Very good. Shall I attend to the other matter of which we spoke?"

_"Oui._ We shall need a representative in ze Hellfire Tournament Finals, and you are ze second most qualified of us all."

"I shall duel him, then?"

"I wish you ze best of fortune."

"Excellent. I shall begin planning immediately."

As the cold and embittered mob boss left the room, so did any of Vera's doubts that her plan would work. And with a warped smirk, Vera continued her day-to-day business, absently humming the anthem of the Union as she did so.

Kagome vs. Yami no Marik

One Turn Kill. The most devastating technique that Ra was in possession of, one that even the original Marik had not known about, and easily the most dangerous to whomsoever played the effect.

And now Kagome was about to be on the receiving end of the onslaught.

"You have no idea of the ancient fury you are about to experience, a fury that has guided hundreds, nay, thousands, to an early grave. And now it shall consume the life and soul of the legendary High Priestess Kikyo, on a day that shall be recalled for all of eternity!"

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME PRIESTESS! I'M NOTHING LIKE KIKYO!"

Yami no Marik, upon hearing how vehemently Kagome attacked her predecessor, got a look of cold indifference upon his face.

"You're more alike than you could ever begin to understand. I shall explain that in due time, but likely on your deathbed you will understand what I mean. Now, back to the effect I mentioned earlier. In order for me to activate this capability I must pay a hefty amount of life points, but for what it is worth, my Dragon shall become indomitable."

The monster's eyes became even more soulless, if such a thing was possible, and as Kagome watched, he began mumbling in what could have been a crude form of Hieratic. Each word spoken resulted in a peculiar stream of energy flowing from the duelist to the monster. With every passing second the tempo rose, and directly proportional to that rise was the escalating dissolution of Yami no Marik's body, but this was not the only effect; Kagome sensed that Ra itself was rapidly gaining power.

Yami had seen the phenomenon, and every night for two weeks after it was the chief focus of prolific nightmares.

"Now, Kagome, it is time for you to see the ultimate might of my deck!"

At first, Kagome could not tell where the voice was coming from; by this point all that was left of the duelist was a single hovering eye, looming eeriely on the field and staring directly at her. But everything else, the cards, the Duel Gauntlet, and the greater bulk of his body, it had vanished into nothingness.

It was then that she looked up at the Winged Dragon of Ra itself.

Jutting out of Ra's celestial head, by some act of necromancy, was the duelist she had been contending with, sans his left eye. In its place could be seen darkness, with small rivulets of blood pouring out of the chasm, and if one looked deep enough, one might even see the empty eye socket.

And even from this distance, she could tell that he had become one with the god's power. (24799/14599) (2300/1)

Kagome could not believe it. Her enemy, while he had indeed gained a massive field advantage, had actually reduced himself to one solitary life point, meaning that all she would have to do was somehow give Yusui any number of attack points, and she could win it all.

"You've never been one to think things through, have you, Yami no Marik? Remember, even if you attack my angels, I won't lose any life points, but if I do the same to you, I'll win."

But Yami knew better; something else was going to happen before he made the final strike.

"That's true, little one, but there are ways to overcome that weakness, such as the monster I hold in my hand right now, an extraordinarily powerful, albeit unusual creature that allows me to forgo the normal sacrificial requirements and tribute your monsters instead!"

"What? You're joking, right? There's no way to do that."

Yami, of course, knew otherwise.

"Actually, Kagome, the monster I now hold is quite capable of this, so now I shall sacrifice your Yusui and Venus to summon my Lava Golem to the field, or should I say, your Lava Golem."

With a flick of his wrist, Yami no Marik tossed the card down towards Kagome, who had a slightly dazed look on her face as she picked it up.

"Well, what are you waiting for? I gave you that monster, so summon it! Or perhaps you'd like to debate the matter with Ra or the Guardian, though I doubt either would be very receptive."

This duel is getting weirder by the second, but what choice do I have?

Although she was hesitant in doing so, Kagome removed the two most powerful of her monsters from the card reader, and replaced them with the card Yami no Marik gave her… which she immediately regretted. 

Even as she watched Kagome was trapped, as a metal cage formed itself around her and locking away any light or relief from her angels, and she could not begin to determine what was going on. What was even more unusual was that the air around her was inexplicably warm, almost unbearably so. She could barely focus; all she could perceive was the damnable heat, which happened to be rising steadily.

"Ok, start talking! What's going on, and where's the monster!"

"Haven't you figured that out, Kagome? You're within the monster!"

She barely perceived the full horror of what had just been said, her concentration giving way to exhaustion and overheating as her eyes meandered stupidly about, looking for something, anything, to focus on.

So she decided upon the behemoth of a monster she had been swallowed up in.

Kagome's cage was in fact hanging from the neck of what could be called a fire demon, but in actuality was more of a subterranean beast. Made almost entirely of partially cooled lava, the monster stood like a molten goliath before the Winged Dragon, with several human skulls protruding from its volcanic flesh; also buried in the magma were the two monsters sacrificed by Yami no Marik, both of whom were slowly burning away. And the creature even had a face of sorts, with a razor-toothed mouth and glazed eyes. (3000/2500)

"Surprising, isn't it, Kagome? A monster capable of usurping the power of a Blue Eyes, and I gave it to you? Well, there's a very good reason for that. Aside from its effect, which will demonstrate itself next turn, your monster is not an angel, but is in fact a demon of great wickedness."

"Yeah, what's your point?"

And then it dawned on her: the Sanctuary in the Sky would not be able to defend the Golem from his attack damage. He would be able to wipe her out with one shot.

The Pharaoh recoiled in disgust and terror as he saw the madness in Yami no Marik's slitted eye, what he planned to do to her.

"Kagome!"

"There's nothing you can do for her now, Pharaoh!_ Winged Dragon of Ra, attack the Lava Golem and end this duel! Show Kagome the power of God incarnate!"_

The titanic gryphon opened, for what might be the final time, its overpowering jaws, and once again charged the might of the God Breath Cannon, ready to strike down a former comrade for the sake of the greater good. Every iota of power the beast possessed would be used in one final onslaught to wipe out the priestess; there would be no mistakes, and nothing could hope to stop the god.

But Atem was willing to try, and as such he ran towards the field, his injury and the Shadow Realm slowing him down. His head began to spin, his vision blurred, and with no more strength he collapsed to his knees

He realized at that point he would not make it in time, and was reduced to witnessing the event happen before his very eyes.

The attack was launched, the searing orb of light hurtling towards the Lava Golem, which was in turn so terrified that it was unable to move. All eyes, however, were fixated upon the Golem's prisoner, standing idly in the cage, seemingly without any will to make a move, eyes blank and filled with the reflected light of the assault. She did not indicate any signs of life, her face without expression.

And then, as Yami stared at her still beautiful countenance, a single tear hovering from his eye as he watched, Kagome performed a rather unexpected action.

Without any noticeable reason, she winked.

At that moment, the blast slammed into the Lava Golem, disintegrating the demon and anything unfortunate enough to be caught in it.

Yami no Marik stared at the pillar of smoke with a deranged pride, watching as the only remnants of Kikyo's reincarnation floated into the boundless rafters of the Shadow Realm. After five thousand years, the last priestess had been eradicated…and the Pharaoh was next.

His eyes glassed over momentarily, and his head began to pound. He doubted that Ra could support this for too much longer, but he turned to Yami anyway.

"So, for all your speeches and rants, you could not save her from the wrath of the gods. It seems my suspicions of the extent of your power were correct from the beginning. You're weak, a pathetic and dated monarch who has simply been misplaced in the timeline, much like she was. And now you both shall be united in your mediocrity!"

Yami did not believe it. Had Kagome really lost? Was she…?

"Yes, Pharaoh. Let the reality consume you. Bask in the cold sunrise of the real world, a world in which neither of you had ever truly belonged; your time is spent, you had your chance at this world, and now it is time for me to take the throne! And when I do, you shall join your beloved, trapped in the abyss until the end of time!"

It was just as these words took full effect on Yami that the duelists saw it; the Pharaoh through joy and Yami no Marik through blind anger.

A silhouetted form was making itself visible in the cloud of smoke, and it was surrounded bya set of female spirits. After a moment, the group dissipated, taking the smoke with them.

And the silhouette was revealed to be Kagome.

"Yami! I told you to stay put!"

Yami, for the first time in his life, had nothing to say. All he cared about was that she was alive and well. And Kagome was not quite as irritated as she led him to believe; on the contrary, her heart had skipped a beat when he ran to her.

Yami no Marik was not quite so happy.

"WHAT! THAT SHOULD HAVE VAPORIZED YOU! WHAT HAPPENED!"

"My face down card happened. When your Winged Dragon attacked, I activated DNA Surgery, changing Lava Golem into an Angel and preventing you from doing any life point damage thanks to my Sanctuary. Your Lava Golem's 1000 damage effect was crushed too."

"Damnation! Fine, I'll just place this card face down and end my turn."

"Good, then it's time I end this duel once and for all! My move!" And as Kagome looked at her card, she realized that, at long last, her first Shadow Game was near its end.

"It's over! I sacrifice a Holy Shine Sphere to summon Angel of Judgement-Saturn to the field in attack mode!"

The orb of sanctity, in order for the greater good to be accomplished, allowed its essence to collapse upon itself, and from the center of the tribute was emerging another angel, easily the most authoritative of any played so far. Hovering inches above the impure floor, the supreme seraph was one of royal bearing indeed; clad in robes of purest white with cobalt decorations, golden fineries, and a set of deep midnight blue wings, the celestial being had a somewhat pharaonic styling to it, and the indigo flesh of its physical manifestation only added to the effect. (2400/0)

"An interesting monster choice, Kagome, but I am afraid that the duel is mine anyway!"

"Oh really? Well, perhaps once I activate the effect of Saturn you'll change your mind. You see, because I have more life points than you, as well as Sanctuary in the Sky I can sacrifice this monster and inflict the difference between life points as damage. And because you only have one life point left, this battle will end in this turn!"

"By all means try. It's not like it will really matter in the end."

"We'll see about that, spirit!"

"Indeed we will, and right now to be exact! I activate my face down card, De-Fusion!"

For a moment, Kagome wondered if she had heard him correctly.

"You can't do that! Neither of us has a Fusion monster on the field!"

It was Yami no Marik's look of grim confidence that quieted that idea.

"What do you think Ra is? The Dragon and I have fused ourselves into one omnipotent being, and I can just as easily break that union! I really do have to thank you, Pharaoh, for this one; had I not taken your own De-Fusion card I would never have realized just how useful it could be!"

And in a flare of crimson , Yami no Marik was cast out of Ra's body, and with unexpected grace he lighted upon the field, his face gruesomely rebuilding itself as it happened. As for Ra, it now stood powerless upon the field, its master having taken its strength with him, but because of De-Fusion's effect the demonic spirit had been able to place the monster on the defensive. (0/0) (2300/24800)

"Where is your false hope now, Kagome? Has your tongue become so overused that you can no longer spew out your rambling, nonsensical utterances? Or perhaps you have finally realized that I cannot be stopped. I now hold over ten times as many life points as you do, my dear, and my Winged Dragon, even if you do destroy it, shall always return to me."

"I doubt it. Now, Saturn, destroy his Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Within both palms Saturn began to generate massive amounts of pure ethereal energy, and as each sphere increased in size he continued to mumble an old angelic language beneath his breath, the language from which all others supposedly derived, until such point as he brought both hands together and sent a shockwave to envelop the god in the fury of Heaven.

The fates, however, did not intend this to happen.

"Ra, activate your ability of Egyptian God Barricade!"

Just as the shockwave was about to consume Ra, the beast activated a power with a similar appearance to the Egyptian God Phoenix, except in this case it prevented the attack from reaching the Dragon.

"You see, Ra has an ability that can only be activated during your move, and once per duel I can use the effect to prevent the death of Ra for the duration of that turn. I'm afraid your angels can do nothing against me, and soon even your sanctuary shall crumble to the ground!"

"Ok. I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Another card drawn by Yami no Marik, and now he knew exactly what had to be done. "I shall now play the Magic card, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards at the price of any two from my hand. And the card I have chosen to keep is none other than the Magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon, which I shall use to devastate your Sanctuary in the Sky!"

This was it. Unless she had a face down card that could save her from Yami no Marik's wrath, then this duel would end in Kagome's horrific destruction.

There was a heavy sensation of apprehension as the storm of darkness rose into the sky and slammed into the might fortress of sanctity, causing its divine foundations to crumble away into nothingness. Every moment that the storm bombarded the asylum, the Angels began to lose their own divine powers, until such time as Saturn and the two orbs were essentially mortals, and the Sanctuary was no more.

Yet as these angels cried tears of shattered hope, the demon who had broken them had already begun to laugh and dance in exultation.

"I have done it! After all this time, I have at last toppled the Kingdom of Heaven itself! All I need do is destroy the exiles of that realm and I can strike the Priestess down, and I have the perfect way to do it. Ra, I fuse with you again by the dictation of One Turn Kill! And this time, you little bitch, your traps shall not grant you victory!"

Kaiba and Botan vs. Tsubaki and Pegasus

Kaiba was fully aware of the capabilities of the Soul of the Dark Serpent, having seen it in several test runs of Kaiba Corp technology, and he had been able to tell immediately that its effect was far too broken to be used in normal play. Like Stromberg Castle of Gold and Toon World, Pegasus had halted production of the card almost immediately after the prototype had been designed, effectively banning its distribution and use by anyone…save himself, of course.

And among the few that knew of the card's existence it was considered to be the single most powerful, and dangerous, card in the game.

"Alright, Kaiba, this is how the card is going to work. The first order of business is to increase and decrease our life points until such time as we each have 1500, whereupon we each draw until every duelist has ten cards in his or her hand. From this point forward, there is no hand limit, and we may each draw 2 cards per turn, so long as we skip our next draw phase if we decide upon this." And as Tsubaki stated, each one of them drew the required cards. (1500/1500) (1500/1500)

"Now comes the interesting part. After deactivating the effects of all other Magic and Trap cards face up on the field at the time, we may all summon monsters from our decks, regardless of summon requirements, until such time as our fields can no longer support any others, as well as place one card face down from the cards we drew. For every monster summoned in this way, all duelists may draw one card, but can no longer activate cards that allow you to draw outside the draw phase, besides Soul of course. Also, no attacks or voluntary life point damaging effects can be launched until my next turn."

"So far it makes sense."

"Keep listening, Botan. It's about to get much more complicated."

"How right you are. Now, in order for a monster to attack, each duelist must discard a number of monster cards from his or her hand equal to the number of stars their attacking monster has, and also remove them from the game. However, if they choose to attack they will gain 200 life points.

"If you see fit to do so you may force your opponent to discard two cards from his hand, but he may do the same to you. Also, every turn you switch your monster into defense mode you will lose 200 life points.

"To make things more interesting, we may also choose to draw from the bottom of our decks, but whoever uses this will have to remove a card on your field from the game, as will another duelist on your team. And the opponent must activate such an effect every three of their turns."

"Fascinating card, Tsubaki, but why did you play it?"

"For the card's two other effects. Firstly, in order for a duelist to lose, he or she must not have any monsters in their hand or field, along with 0 life points. All three must be fulfilled to win. And as for the last effect…well, you'll see soon enough. But in the meantime, it's time for us to summon our monsters. I shall call forward Rainbow Snake Eingana, Giga Gagagigo, and Gogiga Gagagigo to the field."

"Ok by me. I'll call upon Valkyrie Altest!"

"As for me, I'll give Toon Obelisk a little extra company, with Toon Slifer the Sky Dragon, Toon Winged Dragon of Ra, and Toon Jinzo! And what of you, Kaiba-boy?"

"I think by now you should be able to tell me that! I summon all three of my Blue Eyes White Dragons, along with Tyrant Dragon!"

The monsters, one by one, arrived onto the field. Tsubaki's monsters consisted of a massive multicolored serpent that looked like something from jungle folklore, what seemed to be a more advanced form of Gagagigo, and the massive, bloodthirsty final form of the lizard soldier. (2200/2400) (2450/1500) (2950/2800) Botan, meanwhile had called forward one of her two strongest Valkyries, even with her Field Magic deactivated. The newly summoned warrior, Altest, was a maiden of pale green hair, and gray armor. (1600/1600) As for Kaiba, he had instantly summoned all three of his infamous white dragons to serve beneath Obelisk, along with one of the few dragons in the game that actually resembled the old legends in Europe, with thick copper scales, massive pinions so as to profane the heavens, and a horned head that was the epitome of nightmare. (3000/2500) (3000/2500) (3000/2500) (2900/2500)

But it was the monsters of Pegasus that were to be the focus of attention. For he had summoned the other two Toon Egyptian God Cards.

The first Toon God, Toon Slifer, did not have the quiet dignity of his original form, for in this case the vilified Osiris had now become an overly fat abomination, with a head that looked like a thickened shovel, bulging yellow eyes, and wings that flopped about with no sense of direction at all. But what was most horrific was that the method through which this creature seemed to move was not by flight, but rather by coiling its snake-like form into a spring, and literally _bouncing _wherever it wanted to go.

And the Toon Winged Dragon had even less dignity, for instead of emitting a mighty roar, it instead began to cluck. Yes, cluck. And adding to the fact that it was squatting with its wings folded and had almost no neck to speak of, everyone was instantly thinking that it was a chicken god. Its head even bore some similar traits with such a bird.

Then there was Toon Jinzo, an obese form of the original with a clown suit version of his metallic robe, and a steel party mask in place of his respirator. But in spite of how moronic the mutated psycho-shocker class android looked, there was no way for it to distract from the even more ludicrous cartoon deities called forth. (12000/12000) (0/0) (2400/1500)

So was the stage set.

"Very nice. However, in the long run that won't matter. Now, since I cannot attack this turn, I'll just play this Continuous Magic card known as Dark Snake Syndrome, a very powerful card in the right hands."

"Correction, Tsubaki, a very dangerous card in anyone's hands."

"We'll see. In this case, I shall end my turn."

"So then it's my move, and I'll choose to draw two cards at the price of my next draw phase." As Botan looked carefully at each field, she realized that this was not the best of situations. Not only had all of her monsters lost their attack bonus, but any new monsters summoned would fall victim to Toon Slifer. And then there was Toon Jinzo to deal with…

"Ok, Tsubaki, I'll activate this Magic card, Mischief of Loki, which allows me to discard a Valkyrie from my hand and remove from play a monster whose level is equal to that of another Valkyrie on the field, and I think that Pegasus's Toon Jinzo will do the trick."

As the appropriate cards were discarded, a slight crack emerged in the open air, seeming to reach into the infinite abyss of times forgotten, and from this rift emerged an astoundingly vile deity, a lank and simian humanoid with wild, untamed hair and beady eyes, and if one looked closely enough they could see that his mouth was sewn shut. Skipping about in a mad craze he jumped upon the heads of gods and Valkyries alike, making obscene gestures to everything that moved until he reached Toon Jinzo. It was then that the mischievous one grew quite serious, clamping onto the parody super-soldier and dragging it away into the chasm of anti-creation, where it would likely take in a few drops of the poison meant for Loki until the gods saw what was going on. "I'll then place one more card face down, and end my turn."

Pegasus obviously did not appreciate what had been done to his beloved Toon, and as such he promised to make them both pay._ Valkyries and dragons may have served in the past, but now it is time to show them true necromancy_."My move, and I'll choose to draw only one card." Pegasus, upon drawing the card, realized that he had finally drawn one of the more devastating cards in his deck, one that he would use to great advantage.

"I activate the Ritual Magic card, Black Illusion Ritual, and to fulfill the sacrifice I shall offer up the Jigen Bakudan in my hand. And by this sacrifice, I am allowed to summon the darkest of sages, representative of the devil himself, and easy on the eyes to boot! I call forward Relinquished!"

In all of his dueling life, Kaiba had always been prone to hold Ritual monsters with a certain distaste, with the exception of his Paladin of White Dragon, which he rarely ever used. They were difficult to summon, and in the few instances in which they could be called upon, the monsters were not worthy of the ceremonies and offerings. But Kaiba knew very well that Ritual monsters had a handful of powerful soldiers.

And as he had faced the power of Heaven against Noa, so did he face the power of Hell against Pegasus.

With the deluded grin of a man who has been shown the face of God, Pegasus slipped the lone monster card into the grave, and from this emerged a massive sacrificial kiln, formed of gold, with a stretched emblem of the Sennen upon it. After a few moments the reek of blood and death emanated from within the unholy vessel, blended harmonically with the shrieks of what had been offered up to the ascending beast.

And then, from the depths of the relic emerged a blood-drenched claw, every talon fidgetting as the mage grew accustomed to the physical form it had taken on, and this clawed hand was what drew out the second part of Pegasus's deck, that which represented his internal darkness.

What hovered ominously above the marble floor was almost beyond description. One of the few known demon magicians, the monster's jagged claws were attached to arms thick not with muscle, but with energy. The lower torso seemed to be a circular knot of muscle, and three cone-shaped prongs allowed for its capability to defy gravity. On its back was a pair of what could have been wings, but it was impossible to tell for certain. And most repulsive of all was the eye, a single eye that bore a strong resemblance to that of Pegasus's old Sennen Item, held now by Hiei, yet was perched upon a fleshy stalk. (0/0)

The younger of the two businessman was vaguely aware of how Relinquished worked, and a vague understanding was all he needed to fear it.

"Well now, Kaiba-boy, Relinquished may not have been enough to defeat Yugi and the Spirit, but I have a feeling it shall be more than enough to take you apart. As I do not doubt your knowledge of this monster, I see no need to explain my theory. No, I'll just let my monster speak for itself! Use your effect on Kaiba's Blue Eyes!"

And it was then that the full magnitude of the demon's power was understood, for at that moment, Relinquished allowed himself to break the lock over his power, and what had once been living flesh now became an infinite and impenetrable vacuum created by the hand of Lucifer. Once the portal opened the emotionless sorcerer turned his gaze upon the dragon, and even the will of the most ancient of creatures could not overcome Relinquished's hypnotic spell. Within that moment of weakness the second half kicked in, drawing Blue Eyes towards the vortex, and in response the Blue Eyes began to beat its wings frantically, in a vain attempt to escape the hellish enchantment. But it did the wyrm no good, for it was soon absorbed, perhaps never to return.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Kaiba. Your dragon is gone, but certainly not forgotten. You see, by absorbing your dragon Relinquished has activated its effect, allowing it to assimilate the Blue Eyes' power, as well as use it as the perfect shield."

Kaiba thought that corrupting the Blue Eyes was bad enough, but this…

"I wouldn't get too used to using my Blue Eyes, Pegasus. I doubt you'll even be able to duel when this is all over."

"I really do find your threats boring, Kaiba-boy. Now, because I used three other cards myself Toon Slifer loses 3000 attack points." (2700/2000) (9000/9000) "Next, I'll play the Magic card, Ring of Magnetism, which I'll use on Toon Reflect Bounder. While it may lower my machine's attack power by 500, it will allow me to redirect all of your attacks to my monster." As he said this, the cartoon mirror soldier was surrounded by four magnetic generators, which formed an electromagnetic ring about him and reversed the charges of every monster on Kaiba and Botan's side of the field so as to be opposite the charge of the ring. (1200/1000) And as expected, Toon Slifer lost even more power. (8000/8000) "That ought to do for now, Kaiba. I end my turn."

"Alright, Pegasus, it's time to silence you once and for all! My move, and I'll choose to draw two cards and skip my next draw phase."_ This isn't good. Every turn Pegasus and Tsubaki gain a greater advantage, and if we even try to attack one of us will lose. Then we have Toon Slifer, who'll either slaughter or weaken anything we summon. However, that doesn't mean I can't try something else._

"I'll choose to activate the effect of Soul of the Dark Serpent, which will force both Pegasus and myself to discard two cards from our hand, thus lowering Toon Slifer's attack strength." Both duelists slipped their cards into the grave, as Slifer grew ever weaker. (6000/6000) "Next, I'll play the Magic card, Delinquent Duo, which forces you to randomly discard one card from your hand, and then you shall select another card to discard, followed by the activation of the Shrink Magic card to lower the attack power of Tsubaki's Rainbow Snake." At that instant, two malevolent imps, one blue and one red with identifying numerals, shot forth towards Pegasus, and the first of the twins snatched away one of his cards and flicked it viciously into the graveyard. As for the second, it wrapped its tail about Pegasus's neck until he strangled out a submission and discarded another card, forced to watch his animated god continue deteriorating. (4000/4000) At the same time, the power of Eingana was also cut, reducing it down to a pitiable ruin of a monster. (1200/2400) "Of course, I had to give up 1000 life points, but in the long run I doubt that it will matter." (500/1500) (1500/1500) "I'll follow up by placing a monster on the defensive, which I believe activates Slifer's special effect, an effect I wanted to use against you." 

"What!"

"Remember, Pegasus, by attacking my monster with its second mouth you've allowed me to activate my face down card…THE CRUSH CARD VIRUS TRAP!"

Kaiba was fully aware of the fact that by their effects, the Toon Gods would not be affected by the trap. However, it would dispense with Relinquished and every one of Tsubaki's monsters, as well as decimate every powerful monster in their decks. And even as he watched, the flesh-eating virus had begun to collect in its original host body where a simple mutation had resulted in the most infamous of all plagues.

Pegasus now looked as though some unholy retribution had been placed upon him, for not only was he about to lose Relinquished before he could even attack with it, but his other powerful monsters were about to follow it. Luckily he had Toon Reflect Bounder on the field, or things would have gone completely downhill.

Tsubaki just uttered a curse under her breath.

As though on a spring-loaded mechanism the second mouth popped open, and what seemed to be a giant purple cannon was jutting out of the mouth's roof. For a moment, the cannon remained silent, until such time as a spark of fire burst from the monster's trachea and lit the fuse, resulting in a shapeless and utterly repugnant shockwave of odor that curled itself around the Virus, shattering it instantly.

And from the depths of the virus's remains spread out a flurry of microscopic organisms, invisible to the eye, that soon attacked every powerful monster that stood against them.

Relinquished was the first to go, and in spite of his sorcery, his powers crumbled as the virus slowly feasted upon him, causing massive slabs of flesh to peel away until such time as the energy which made up his chief body mass dissolved into the air, as did his weaponry. The others were safe, Reflect Bounder because of his weakness and the gods because of their status.

The other monsters of Tsubaki were not as fortunate.

In an ironic twist, Aya was about to experience the full brutality of what her former self had endured, for now every waking nerve erupted in massive flares of indescribable torture as foaming blood dribbled from her slackened jaw and her entire body dissolved. Next was Gagagigo, who was so horrified at what was happening to him that he ripped off his hand before dying of sheer madness. His older brother fell victim to the same plague, and as a leper he crawled on his crumbling hands and knees to the eldest of the monsters, who looked upon him with quiet disgust for a moment or so as his brother pleaded for his help, even as he slowly became a gelatinous lump of muscles and fluids. But such support was not to come, and in the torment of his comrades Gogiga Gagagigo stood with a certain tangible dignity as he allowed himself to become overwhelmed by the virus. And of the others he had the most noble of demises, for he merely crumbled into dust which blew away almost immediately.

"Of course, this is not the only effect of the virus, for it also assails your dueling deck, leaving you with only monsters of 1500 attack points or less to battle with." As stated, Tsubaki and Pegasus placed the appropriate cards into the graveyard, leaving Pegasus with three cards in his hand and Tsubaki with six, debilitating Toon Slifer even further. (3000/3000) "I'll then place two cards face down, and end my turn."

"My move again, in which I'll draw one card, and as you know Eingana gains back its original attack power, but not before each duelist on the field loses 200 extra life points thanks to Dark Snake Syndrome." From all corners of the Magic card burst four vaporous serpents, that attached themselves to the individual duelists and sunk their teeth into their shoulders. (300/1200) (1200/1200) "I hope you realize that this means that on my next turn, you will lose this duel, Kaiba. And in case you haven't noticed…" With a singular motion of the wrist, Tsubaki called forth from the other parts of the arena four of her demon serpents, which curled around the feet of every duelist. It was a surreal experience, and even Pegasus was slightly perturbed at the situation.

"…losing is not an option here."

"Your scare tactics don't work on me, dark priestess. I've stared down Yakuza bosses, dirty politicians, and every kind of sleazy businessman there is. After living with Gozaburo Kaiba, I doubt anything could throw off my game short of the Orichalcos."

"You'll be begging for the Orichalcos before this duel is over! Now, back to me. I think that it's time I clear the field and offer myself a shot at your life points, so I'll sacrifice Eingana and also activate its special effect, which shall allow me to wipe out every monster on both of your fields once it enters the grave!"

Kaiba, however, had planned for this.

"I'm afraid that won't work against us! Reveal Quick-Play Magic card, Enemy Controller!"

One could say that, as the president of a major gaming multinational, Kaiba was entitled to use such a card, but his very personality seemed to counteract that theory. But then, he had just proposed to Death, so his selection of cards based on personality was the least of his problems.

What appeared before him was essentially an oversized video game controller with a perpetually mobile connection cable, seeming ready to select whatever its master commanded.

"So what do you intend to do with such a card?"

"I think that should be fairly obvious, given the name of the card. But if I must explain myself, I will. Essentially what I've just done is given myself total control of your Snake's future, and I can either change its position, or control it by sacrificing another monster on my side of the field. And since he is the weakest of my monsters at this point, I think I'll sacrifice my Tyrant Dragon to activate it."

And just as promised, Kaiba allowed his dragon to be consumed by the sacrificial light, giving him the capability to enter the required coding. After the command had been entered the cable linked up to Eingana's primitive cerebrum, and coerced it to his side of the field.

"I must say that I am impressed, Kaiba. I'll place a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I'll take over, and just draw a card." But Botan would not likely need that card anyway; she already had a plan in mind. "Seto, do you mind if I take Pegasus apart for you?"

"He's all yours. Just leave Tsubaki for me."

"Fair enough. I activate the special effect of Valkyrie Altest, which allows me to remove one monster in the opponent's graveyard from play, and add those attacks points to my Valkyrie for the duration of this turn." Sure enough, Altest lowered her sword until it was directly across from Pegasus, and absorbed the soul of the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon into the blade, boosting her attack strength to a level capable of defeating the gods. (4600/1600) "Looks like Ragnarok came a little early for your Toon Slifer. Attack his monster!" And as she declared the attack, she removed from play the appropriate card from her hand.

But Pegasus's usual idiotic expression was gone, supplanted by the cold and determined face that he had only ever used once, in his last duel with Yugi.

"I have to disagree. Reveal face down card, Gravity Bind, which forces all monsters of Level Four or higher to halt any attack. However, they may still change positions and use effects."

"Fine. I'll end my turn there." (1600/1600)

"Excellent; that means that it's my move again, and I'll choose this time to draw a card from the bottom of my deck, removing Toon Reflect Bounder from the game, along with one of Kaiba's dragons. The way I see it, I'm about to end this match, so why not add some insult to injury?"

It was with great reluctance that Kaiba removed the second of his Blue Eyes from the field, and the pain in his eyes as he did so broke Botan's heart.

"Where was I? Oh right, demolishing you. Now, since there is no reason to continue this farce any longer, I shall instead use the power of Toon Obelisk the Tormentor, so I offer up to you the souls of Toon Slifer and Toon Ra. Activate your effect of Toon Hand Crusher!"

And in a final display of self-humiliation, Toon Obelisk picked up a party hat and trumpet, and played an extraordinarily flawed form of reveille. As he made this ridiculous call to arms the other Toon Gods alighted upon his forearms and began to illuminate as they were absorbed into both fists. But in lieu of the normal ignition of fists, Toon Obelisk's hands inflated like balloons, and also gained fuses at the wrist.

_You can't even create decent visuals for these things._

With a triumphant cackle, Toon Obelisk pulled out his pogo-ankh once again, balanced his feet upon it, and bounded precariously towards Kaiba and Botan. And unlike his previous attack, Toon Obelisk had somehow been able to keep a steady bead upon the two of them.

"This little trick of yours isn't going to work, Pegasus! I activate the Trap card, Artillery Recall! When a monster effect that would inflict damage against me is activated, I can use this card to send a monster on my side of the field back to my hand, and any damage or monster destruction is negated as well. And to ensure his safety I'll remove Blue Eyes from the field." And as he placed his final dragon back into his hand, it gave him a look of confidence and pride before returning to the card.

"Not bad, Kaiba. I too shall place a monster in defense mode. That's all for now."

"Then it's time we end this! My move!" Kaiba did not draw, but he already saw what he needed to bring this duel to a close

_You ready, Botan?_

_Always, Seto._

"Now, unfortunately for you two, I've been hiding one of the deadliest monsters in my deck, and I needed the perfect setup on the field to work with. And now that I have it, we can close the book on your little party."

"You're certainly bluffing, Kaiba-boy. What hope have you of defeating us?"

"I have a feeling you won't like the answer to that. I activate the Ritual Magic card, Throne of the Dragon!"

Aftermath of Enzeru's battle

There had always been a glaringly obvious problem with working in the mortal world that Enzeru had noticed, one that should have been apparent to him, and should have come to mind during his battle.

It was a relatively simple truth: in this world, wounds bleed. And a small gash on his forehead was doing just that. Then again, when dealing with Akuren the wounds were generally much more serious, so he had to admit he had gotten lucky in this case.

With a searing pain in his left leg Enzeru stood up, a few stray drops of blood inching close to his eye, and their was a heavy stench of napalm all around. It was something of a trademark; whenever Hogosha had used any type of high-powered weaponry it had always left behind a less than pleasant aroma.

But there was no time to reflect on such things, which was actually somewhat ironic.

Enzeru did not need to survey the area to see what had happened. He knew all too well that the Cluster Skull would only affect two people, and unless they were powerful enough to withstand it both attacker and victim would instantly die. No one else would notice, and in the proper hands it was the ultimate assassination weapon.

And he also knew that the demon ninja was still very much alive.

But Enzeru had one thing that Akuren did not, which would allow him to endure almost any strike made against him. And with that weapon he would be certain to set the world back into its proper equilibrium.

Strangely enough, the situation of the world had never before forced any Citadel member into full active duty. Under normal circumstances the Guardians of the Citadel of Chaos had had an almost invisible part in controlling every threatening incident; otherwise King Yama and Shadi had been able to handle things, as had their associates and comrades. But now the fates had played an unusual hand, and he had been sent to New Paradigm indefinitely.

Paradise on Earth, it was called. From what he had seen, the guardian would actually have called it a hell on Earth, a wandering microcosm damned to hover above all else.

Enzeru quietly pocketed the Tempus Astrum, and walked forward at a brisk pace. All around there was suffering, blood and crime everywhere, children sleeping in boxes with nothing to look forward to save an empty plate in the morning. To the north he could see the illustrious city center, gleaming like Camelot as a beacon of false hope. And at the very core of the entire operation was the Rosewater Tower, where the bureaucrats wheeled and dealed with the mobsters and syndicates.

But even as he was trying to save these people, he allowed himself little anguish over their lot. Callous as it may sound, Enzeru knew that such aloofness was vital to the world's wellbeing, for once empathy was allowed into his heart it would be followed by pity. With pity would arrive compassion, which would become despondency.

It was this despondency that the darkness would feed on.

No one listened to him, of course. When the elders of the Citadel confronted him with his refusal to feel for the humans of the world, Enzeru had simply answered, "To obtain pity is to sacrifice life." This was also his reasoning for never developing any close relationships beyond his family, for if those he connected with were to die his logic and reason would be stricken blind. He would go on a merciless rampage, blatantly abusing his powers until the soul itself finally crumbled and the world left at risk. 

It was better this way.

The streets seemed unusually silent as he continued his pace, smoothly glided through the hoards of people, watched the walls grow cleaner as he moved closer to the more affluent parts of the city. He could already sense it; two of the defenders had fallen, one to death and the other to darkness. At least three others were dueling with stakes of varying hazard, and all about he could sense the great political treachery and manipulation that Hiei had perpetuated.

If the world was to be saved from itself, Enzeru would have to find the monster that had beckoned the city…and confront the darkness of his past.

But until then, he could only hope Atem and the others survived.

A Bench in Shaded Park

Six keys, three new cards, old and new enemies, and a constant feeling that something of a higher power was about to be called forward. To say the least, this was not exactly what Yusuke had expected for his first real tournament, but then again, he hadn't really thought that Duel Monsters originated from ancient battles in a forgotten Egyptian dynasty.

When Genkai first told him about the origins of Duel Monsters during his training, he had not really taken her seriously. In fact, Yusuke had laughed so hard at the sheer insanity of what was being said that he almost blacked out. He also had enough of a lapse in judgement to state this opinion, and for the next week he was forced to balance upon a pole of red hot iron.

It was during this torment that he began to see into the past, and whether Genkai had forced it upon him or whether the fates had a larger hand in it, he saw the earliest duels, the Shadow Games. Firsthand he witnessed them, saw the power of horrifying monsters summoned and great acts of sorcery conjured, saw kingdoms rise and fall with one attack, saw princes duel for the rights to land and women.

After the week was over, his loudmouthed insolence remained, but his respect for the game had reached a new level. Like everything else he learned there, he grew steadily more proficient at the game until even Genkai was impressed by his skills.

But there was one aspect of the game that she had neglected to mention, believing he wouldn't be able to handle it because of his lacking wit. That aspect was the soul of the true duelist, or the Heart of the Cards, and it was for this reason that he used his newfound skills to hustle the weaker duelists at Sarayashiki Junior High, making a nice little profit along the way.

With a relaxed sort of grin he hadn't flashed since the tournament began, the former detective looked around, watching the people walking and dueling, and for some reason he was reminded of his first defeat, at the hands of the most unlikely of people.

(Flashback)

"You can't be serious."

"Come on, Yusuke. I've got nothing to do, you've got nothing to do, no one's here to fight you. I'd like to see if what Genkai taught you was worth anything."

Yusuke, for once, had absolutely nothing to say to this, and probably couldn't have responded anyway. That Botan could duel to begin with was enough of a surprise, but that she had actually challenged him to a match was something he had never expected.

"You sure about this? I mean, it's not like you have much experience…"

"I could duel circles around you. In fact, I could do so right now." And in an act of silliness she was quite accustomed to in those days, the unusual reaper began to fly around his head, humming an old, but excruciating tune until such time as the spirit detective cracked.

"Ok, let's duel, but don't get annoyed when I beat you."

(End Flashback)

_She kicked my ass, of course._

It had been the single most humiliating duel of his life. Every one of his strategies and tactics he had gained from his sensei flew right out the window against Botan and her Valkyries. He'd had some tough duels before, on the rare occasion that he dueled for real, but he'd never been crushed completely.

It was a blow to his ego, and when he asked Botan what she did differently, she told him that her real secret, in addition to skill and deck construction, was her belief in the Heart of the Cards, the soul of the true duelist. Like the origins of Duel Monsters, he did not take her seriously. After all, it was just a card game.

And for the next three years, he truly believed that until he came to Domino City. Up until that point, he had thought Botan was the most powerful duelist in the world. He couldn't have been more wrong.

It was purely chance that Yusuke was transferred to Domino High School, it was also by coincidence that he happened upon the small game shop off the beaten path, and it was sheer luck that brought him to the world-renowned Yugi Mouto. Or perhaps it was fate.

He remembered vividly their first conversation, and he also recalled how quickly the minute legend grew on him. Beneath that less-than-impressive stature beat the heart of a true warrior, and he could tell that Yugi was destined for greatness.

What was truly interesting about that meeting was the duel which Yusuke requested, for once it began he could sense a great change in his opponent. In the place of the quiet and timid Yugi was a spirit of grand status, one with confidence, charisma, and a strong sense of destiny.

And when the duel was over, Yusuke believed in the Heart, for it was that same philosophy that had demolished him almost instantly. He knew that it was not about the game, but rather faith, and he realized what should have been obvious for so very long.

After that epiphany, Yusuke changed his entire dueling mannerism. No longer did he use the game for money or power, but as a key to the self, and to the selves of those around him.

But despite his new companions and his new understanding, Yusuke felt that there was still something to be done, some reason that he had been struck by that car four years ago, and he knew that it was connected to Yugi, Yami, Hiei and the powers they were gambling with. Somehow he had been placed in the city in the sky to fight, and by some innate knowledge he could tell…that this was it.

But he decided to put such thoughts out of his head for the moment, and see if another match could be found, a plan that was enhanced when he saw the Spirit Compass blinking wildly.

It was time to find out what was going on, and perhaps, in some way, turn the tides.

Inuyasha vs. Raphael

"Inuyasha, how could you?"

Tea had endured many horrific events throughout her life, from being forced into a duel with a superintelligent penguin to almost ingesting cyanide in Battle City. To her, torment and madness were both equivalent factors in life, and in spite of wanting to live without them, it was doubtful that she could.

But this particular event…it was too much, even for her to undergo.

"What are you talking about, bitch? I'm about to take this bastard apart, and you scold me for that?"

He was indeed bewildered by her adverse reaction to his current plan; after all, he had played the match out brilliantly for the past few turns.

"That's not what I meant! Why did you play the Seal of Orichalcos? Don't you know what that thing is capable of?"

His expression did not indicate that he had such knowledge. "I'm quite aware of what the Seal is capable of. It gave me power, a power far beyond anything else that I could have obtained in this world or the next, and it has opened my eyes to realities and concepts I would never before have considered. It allows me vision, insight, clarity, and most of all, strength."

"That isn't what the Seal does! It just blinds you and convinces you into committing horrible acts that you would never before have done! The card is evil, and you have to get rid of it!"

"Why should I? Let's face it, you're not exactly the Queen of Games, and I highly doubt you know much about this card at all. It has fulfilled every one of my desires, and I can't expect you to understand that."

"You don't get it! The Seal is just clouding your vision! Raphael gave it to you so that…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU DUMBASS SLUT! I NEED THIS CARD TO BECOME FULL DEMON, AND YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAD TO ENDURE TO GET HERE! SO CRAM YOUR SPEECHES UP YOUR ASS, OR I'LL HAVE NO PROBLEM IN KILLING YOU NEXT!"

There was now a harsh silence between the two, the demon seething in enraged hatred and the dancer's heart almost stopping as it was shattered.

"Inuyasha…"

"Save it! I have a duel to win, so it's your move, Raphael!"

Another two cards drawn, and it was easy for the greatest of the DOOM Soldiers to see that the half-breed was losing what little was left of his self-control to the Sacred Seal. Already he was turning upon the ones he loved the most, and soon his very soul would be consumed by the power of the Seal. But until then, he would need to draw his final monster, his ultimate weapon.

_Perfect. I already have one half of my finishing move, and this other card will help._

"Alright, Inuyasha, it's the beginning of the end for you! I'll start this move by activating a Magic card known as Graveyard Sanctification, which allows me to remove every Magic and Trap card in the graveyard from play, and also allows us both to draw one card, but I cannot attack during this turn. Also, every Magic and Trap card that is sent to the graveyard is removed from play as long as a Guardian exists on my side of the field at the same time as this card is in the graveyard. And I will then activate the card I just drew, Raigeki, to destroy every monster on your side of the field!" As he activated the single most powerful monster removal card in the game, a hail of thunder and lightning was hurled forth, incinerating every monster on Inuyasha's side of the field and leaving no trace of their existence. "I'll then place one card face down. That shall end my turn." _All I need now is two more cards…_

"Not bad, Raphael. But unfortunately for you I don't need those monsters to win this duel. I can defeat you right here, right now, and I have just drawn exactly the card to do it! I activate Swords of Revealing Light, which shall bind your attacks for three turns!" Once again a legion of divine blades coursed down from the heavens, preventing any movement from Raphael's monsters. "I will then summon a monster known as Assassin Viper to the field in attack mode, and it has an interesting effect, because if you do not attack this monster while it is in attack mode during your turn, you will lose 1500 life points during my standby phase. Normally I use this monster for defensive purposes, but I don't think that makes any difference now." Inuyasha's next monster was indeed a viper, but a translucent one with black fangs, red scales, and blanched, slitted eyes, which reflected the Seal as its effect was triggered. (200 500 700/1900 500 2400) "That should be enough for now, so I'll end my turn." 

Raphael drew again, and he was beginning to lose his nerve. He hadn't been able to draw the cards he needed so far. "I activate the Magic card, Infinite Cards, which negates any hand restrictions so long as it remains on the field. That will end my turn."_ I can't summon any other monsters yet, not until I draw her._

"This is a fallacy! Assassin Viper, please inflict the proper damage onto him."

As the standby phase went into effect, the Viper darted forward and clamped onto Raphael, pouring venom into his bloodstream before returning to his side of the field. (2100/2000)

"I'm not through with my turn yet. I summon Vorse Raider to the field in attack mode." Another beast soldier was called forth, this time the gruesome vampiric raider, and like all the monsters he obtained the seal. (1900 500 2400/1200 500 1700) "And from the looks of things, all I need to wipe out your monsters is some way to get rid of Iras. So in the meantime, I shall end my turn with one card face down."

Raphael drew again, and now saw his opportunity to crush the idiotic demon. "I activate the Magic card, Giant Trunade, which will return every Magic and Trap card on the field to the player's hand!"

But just as the storm began to pick up, the card Inuyasha had played last turn was triggered, preventing it from being absorbed as the others were.

"Reveal face down card, Threatening Roar, which shall prevent you from attacking my monsters during this turn!"

"Fine. I too shall place a card face down. Your move."

"Indeed it is, and remember that my Viper's still on the field!" Once again the snake bolted forward, draining even more life points. (2100/500) "And once again, I shall activate the Swords of Revealing Light!"

But as Inuyasha had feared, Raphael was one step ahead of him.

"Chain with Magic Jammer, which I shall use to negate the activation of your Swords!"

Just as the blades were about to trap Raphael, a cloud of Shadow Realm miasma roared up to meet and consume them. But the instant that Raphael saw the look upon the demon's face, he realized that he had played directly into his hands.

"Thank you very much, Raphael. By choosing to negate the power of the Swords of Revealing Light, you allowed me to win this duel, for now I can activate the Equip card known as Status Shuffle, which lets me treat the monster to which I equip it as an attack position monster, even if it is defense mode. So I think that I'll equip it to my Viper, and switch him to the defensive stance. And that will end my turn." Even as he said this, the viper coiled into a cylindrical state.

_This is the price you pay for trying to murder me, Raphael, for when this duel is over I shall cut you down once and for all, and the Seal of Orichalcos shall remain in my deck, where it belongs._

Tea, unable to move beneath the Seal, was also unable to look away from the duel, unable to divert her gaze from the "man" she had fallen for and the monster he had become. It was unbelievable, and even now she could not understand what had possessed him to activate a card that was so blatantly corrupted; he should have known not to call upon it, so why did he do it? And more importantly, how would he turn out after the duel? 

_Yes, he'll win the duel…but at what cost?_

Raphael, of course, did not care about such trivial matters. If he was to win this, he would need to call upon the power and faith of his dueling deck, his monsters, and his own soul.

For Raphael had a rare and almost intangible gift: out of every DOOM Soldier, he alone could tap the Heart of the Cards.

"It's my move!" The final two cards, the defining draw. It all came down to this.

And as he looked upon these crucial cards, he realized his faith had been rewarded.

"Inuyasha, when I graciously handed you the Seal of Orichalcos, you were under the deluded impression that I was enough of a moron to hand you my most powerful card."

"And I was correct in that thought, I think."

Raphael, once again unphased at the dog's ignorance, allowed himself a harsh chuckle. "Actually, you're wrong. I've just drawn that card."

Inuyasha, not for the first time, got a look of violent bewilderment on his face. "What are you talking about? I stole your most powerful card!"

"Or so you think. But what you obviously don't seem to understand is that the most powerful card in any deck is that which you share a connection with, and I'm about to prove it!"

Tea, of course, remembered exactly what card he was talking about…and gasped in horror at the thought.

"Damn it, Raphael, get to the point!"

"I never said that my strongest card was a Magic card. No, it's something much deadlier than that!_ I equip Guardian Iras with the Holy Goddess Sword, so that I may summon without sacrifice…GUARDIAN EATOTSU!"_

The moment Inuyasha heard those words, his blood became akin to glacial water, his face became blanched, and his arms hung loosely at his sides.

_No…_

The first harbinger of Raphael's strongest monster came not from the thin air, but rather descended to the world on a thunder stroke, from whence emerged a massive sword of indescribable power, with a hilt of gold and a blade with strength to bring down the heavens themselves. 

But it was not over, for Inuyasha knew what other creature was to follow it.

"Did you really think that you could defeat me with blind demolition and uncontrollable blood sacrifices?"

Without warning, a giant white eagle took to the skies from behind the Guardian duelist, sailing into the artificial clouds.

"Did you truly believe that you could disrespect your own comrades without consequence, or use multiples of restricted cards?"

That eagle, as it rose ever higher, changed form, becoming a solid beam of soul power.

"Well, you were wrong, Inuyasha, and I'm about to prove it."

From that beam erupted another bolt of lightning, a much stronger bolt than the previous one. It hurtled downwards, shrieking towards the ground, and in a great flash of holy light it slammed upon the earth.

The time for absolution was finished; Judgement Day had come.

And the medium for that final condemnation was a blonde angel who seemed to be garbed in the stylings of an early Native American tribeswoman, with a headress designed from the head of a massive eagle and wings so pure as to shame the gods above. Her eyes, unlike every other monster summoned in this duel, were content, peaceful, knowing of the world and all the secrets it held, but unrevealing of any of that knowledge. (2500/2000)

_It's not possible. It's the same card Sesshomaru used to beat me…_

"This is the end, Inuyasha. Because I had no monsters in my graveyard, I was allowed to summon Eatotsu, the guardian angel and the soul of my dueling deck, without having to spill my own monster's blood. And just as Eatotsu rewards my protection of my monsters, so does she punish the uncouth sacrifice of yours."

"You bastard…"

"Don't blame me, half-breed; I am just the messenger. You are the cause of your own destruction, you fell to the temptation of Orichalcos, you shed the blood of your own monsters, and now you shall pay with your soul! Eatotsu, activate your ability of Soul Absorption!"

With an air of grace and dignity, Eatotsu gingerly lifted her sword up on high, and called forth the energy of the souls lost before her, crying out to the dead, summoning them to cast sweet vengeance upon the master that had forsaken them.

Inuyasha could do nothing as every monster he had sent to the grave was drawn from his Duel Gauntlet, and without any Magic or Trap cards, his monster would consume them all.

"How dare you betray me? Return to me at once!"

"I'm sorry, dog demon, but it is you who betrayed them."

Within mere moments, Eatotsu had cleaned out the entirety of the cemetary, leaving Inuyasha without any monsters at all to revive…and the angel with the power he had sacrificed in spite. (44500/2000)

"No. I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN! I WON'T LOSE TO EATOTSU!"

But there was nothing to be done against the loss he had caused himself.

"Pray not to God, Inuyasha, for He shall not rescue you, and pray not to the Shikon no Tama, for it shall not empower you! The Orichalcos is now your past, present, and future, and it shall be your eternal prison as well! _Guardian Eatotsu, attack Inuyasha's Vorse Raider with Final Blade of the Holy!"_

With a shrill battle cry fueled by the justification of the gods, Eatotsu reared back, and slammed her blade into the wooden planks, allowing the spirit energy of every monster, including herself, to become a single wave of untainted might. Nothing could hope to stop it, and try as he might the Vorse Raider broke beneath the attack. So absolute was his destruction that not even a molecule was left, and his shadow was left burned upon the floor.

And the next target was Inuyasha, who could do nothing but stare at his oncoming doom.

_As it began, so does it end, for by the powers of darkness did I come to this world, and by them shall I leave it._

With a violent denial of his defeat, the hanyou became overwhelmed by the attack and was sent sailing into the air, eyes locked onto the sun for what was to be the last time. 

"NO! INUYASHA!"

But Tea's tearful yells meant nothing as he slammed into the barrier of the Orichalcos, and as Raphael looked coldly onto the scene he felt a strange sort of pride in their downfall.

It has begun again, Eatotsu. And this time, I shall not cast my lot with the sinners.

Indeed he would not cast his lot with the dog…for his soul was one with the Leviathan. 

Inuyasha had been defeated. (0/500)

To Be Continued

Whoa. Some serious dueling there.

Ok, next chapter ends the tag team and Kagome's duel, and continues the duels of Joey and Roger. Also, the Seal takes Inuyasha, Naraku overviews the tourney, Hiei outlines his next plan with Seebach, and Enzeru discovers some less than flattering things.

Ok, all Valkyries and Angels not belonging to the Anime are Time Mages, Throne of the Dragon is Matrixfighters, Eight-Legged Terror is Helldragons. The other originals are mine, but if I'm wrong, let me know.

Remember, Read and Review.


	42. A Dark Horizon: Kikyo's Truth

Disclaimer: All the usual, with a side note as to how I do not own Mortal Kombat.

Ok, in Chapter 41 the duel between Inuyasha and Raphael came to an explosive conclusion, while Roger's began. At the same time, the tag team and Kagome's duel heated up, Yusuke reveals his dueling history, Enzeru showcased his personality, and Vera continued her plots.

Chapter 42 will finally end the duels of Kaiba and Kagome, while continuing those of Roger and Joey. Inuyasha is absorbed by the Orichalcos, Naraku continues their diabolical plans, and Enzeru finds something that shall not prove pleasant.

Let it commence.

Chapter 41: The Hand of the Devil and the Truth of Kikyo

Joey vs. Jin

Ever since he had first picked up a Duel Monsters deck, Jin had been somewhat aware of the existence of cards that were so excruciatingly hard to find that only the best were in possession of them. He was also aware that in spite of its essential weakness, the Red Eyes Black Dragon was one of these cards.

It didn't really matter to him how Joey got his hands on such a card, just what he was going to do against it.

"You're in for it now, Jin! Red Eyes, come on out and strut your stuff!"

The most powerful of Joey's standard dragons lifted itself up from the chasms of the Demon World from whence it came, revealing a monstrous wyvern clad in pitch black armor befitting its name. Blade-like talons and a vicious tail gave it even more carnal strength, as did the beast's jagged maw which reeked of death. But the most unsettling aspect of this monster was the characteristic blood red eyes which were its namesake, reflective of the dragon's personal bloodlust and dementia. (2400/2000)

"You've got a bit more kick in ya than I thought, bucko. Lessee if you can use it."

"Didya forget that I was second place at Duelist Kingdom? And this just happens to be one of the cards I used to get that title."

"Well, I'll give ya that. However, you've forgotten somethin: our monsters have equal attack strengths, so odds are my Zaborg's gonna stick with us for a turn or two."

"Nope. I activate the second face down card I had, Metalmorph! It may seem like a Trap, but it works like an equip, giving 300 extra attack points to Red Eyes!"

For Joey, the royally pissed look on Jin's face was more than enough to warrant the risk in his move, but watching the Red Eyes become encased in a cybernetic powerhouse of armor was an added bonus. Every joint and muscle became kinetic, a heart was replaced by a high-powered generator, and dragon fire was usurped by a particle cannon built into the back of the dragon's throat. (2700/2000)

"Uh oh."

"Not a lot you can do, huh?"

Not for the first time, Jin became gripped with panic as he stared at Joey's latest monster, wondering exactly what he could do in the situation. There was no way for him to switch his Monarch into defense mode now, and the Dragon would have no trouble wiping out a sizeable portion of his life points in his next attack.

"I'll just end my turn."

"Meaning that it's back to me, and I know just what to do! Red Eyes, let's give his majesty a royal ass kicking. And in case you forgot, my Dragon now gets half the attack power of a monster you hold that I strike!" (3900/2000)

The mechanized wyrm, responding to its biological and synthetic programming, triggered the firing charge of the high-powered weapon, sending an orb of red and black energy that swept over Zaborg, reducing him to a smear upon the pavement. And as the life points were counted, Jin began to regret paying those 1000 life points so early in the match. (3600/1500)

"Stupid blighter."

"Don't be a hater. I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Another card. _I'd best be getting me life points back…_

"Not a whole lot for me to do now. I'll just place a monster in defense mode, along with one card face down. That oughta serve for the moment." 

"Man, that's weak." Still, Joey thought, Jin was doing pretty well for himself. But in this game, that wasn't enough.

"Ok, now I think it's time to step things up. I summon Exiled Force to the field in attack mode!" Joey's next monster was, in actuality, a faction of monsters, a unit of tired and grizzled defectors who were armed to the teeth in rusted armor and various melee weapons. (1000/1000) "Next, I'll activate the effect of my Exiled Force, which lets me sacrifice it to destroy any monster on your side of the field, so say goodbye to your defense!"

Upon the activation of the effect, the disgraced corps charged forward, screaming out some kind of battle cry as they fell upon the defense mode monster, lancing its anonymous form with spears and blades of varying sizes and shapes, until such time as the monster in question, a giant insect Joey recognized as Flying Kamakiri #1, was reduced to a quivering mass of chitin and internal organs. Having accomplished the deed, the soldiers rescinded back into their exile for fear of the royal guard locating them again.

"And now it's Red Eyes' turn! Attack his life points directly with Flash Flare Blast!"

The metallic dragon opened its maw once again, and launched a second cannon blast aimed directly at Jin's head, but this time it would not reach its target.

"I activate the card I played last turn, Draining Shield, which'll negate your attack and add your dragon's attack points to me life points!"

Almost immediately after the attack was launched, a barrier was erected to intercept it, spreading out the power so that they only effect was a slight vibration on the surface, which was channeled to Jin's Duel Gauntlet. (3600/4200)

_Christ, this guy is good._

"I'll end my turn with one card face down." 

"My move again, and I'll activate Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards. I'll then activate the card known as Spell Mirror, to pay 500 life points and activate Pot of Greed once again." (3600/3700) "Next, I'll summon Selene, the Silver Unicorn, in attack mode, and activate Lightspeed Summoning to sacrifice her for Flash Phoenix!" (3600/3200)

Jin's latest monster was, as its name implied, a silver horse with a long, curling horn, (1800/1200), but it was soon replaced by a much deadlier beast, a massive golden phoenix consumed in flames so intense that even Sol had to look away in shame. (2400/2100) "Of course, my monster has only begun to fight, so I'll equip 'em with Stealth Wings; this will increase me monster's attack by a whoppin' 1200, cuz it boosts his offense by 200 times its level. And as an added bonus, he can attack twice per turn!" The grand phoenix, once equipped, now had wings of the deepest black, provided a sharp foil for the fires that wrapped about them. (3600/2100) "Now, attack his dragon!"

It was at this point that a crucial glitch in the dragon's armor became all too apparent to Joey, for its power boost effect would only respond if the equipped monster was the one attacking. So he was forced to watch as the great phoenix let fly a storm of blazing feathers which wrapped around the dragon, slicing through the heavy metal alloy and burrowing deep into the Red Eyes Black Dragon's vitals. This resulted in the wyvern literally melting from the inside out, as indicated by the thick sludge of blood and organs pooling out of the wounds. (2700/3200)

"Looks like this be the end! Phoenix, direct attack!"

"I ain't done yet! Reveal Quick-Play Magic card, Hyper Fresh! Because your monster's total attack points are higher than my life points, and I have no monsters, this card can double my current life points!" (5400/3200)

"Still, me Phoenix can attack you directly and put one ringer of a dent in you!"

And the phoenix delivered such pain, this time flying directly at Joey and clipping him with one of his wings; it was a swift attack, but it hurt like nothing else. (1800/3200)

"Ok, I'm done, and because of the effect of Serpent of the Lightning, I have to remove Sanga, Zaborg, and the Serpent from play."

Joey drew once more, and from the looks of things he was not in the greatest of positions. However, if he could somehow stave off Jin's attack for the time being he could walk away from this in one piece.

"I think I'll play my own Pot of Greed, and from those cards I'll play Scapegoat!"

Once again did Joey call upon his legions of hideous goats to protect his life points, but they would not hold for very long. What he would need to do was draw out at least two more monsters…along with an extraordinarily powerful Magic card. (0/0 x4) "Your move."

"And I know quite what to do with it. I activate the Magic card, Card of Sanctity!"

As both duelists drew the required cards, Joey's expression became one of slight panic, as Jin's became one of outright jubilation.

"It's been fun, Joey, but I don't think you'll be around for too much longer. Now I summon Penumbra Pegasus, then I'll pay 500 life points to summon Thunder Nyan Nyan at the same time!" (1800/2700)

Jin's next monsters were, respectively, a second silvern horse with a set of white falcon wings, and a tribal faerie with a triple set of drums which basically created thunder once struck. (1900/1100) (1900/800) "I'll then place a card face down, and have all three of my monsters wipe out your goat advantage!"

The Pegasus was the first to strike, sending a gust of golden winds to slice the Scapegoat in half. Next was the thunder maiden, who with one moderate tap sent a jolt of lightning against the second token. And with one swipe of his wings, the Flash Phoenix dispatched of the remaining defenses.

"Ok, Wheeler. That'll satisfy me fer the moment, but just fer laughs, I'll activate the Raimei card to deal you 300 points'a damage."

A small bolt of lightning, as stated, hurled forth from an unseen cloud and smashed into Joey, taking with it a handful of life points. (1500/2700)

At this point, Joey was not in the greatest position, but at least with this draw he would be able to gain hand advantage…or so he thought. But Jin had other plans.

"Activate face down card, Feather Darts, which'll knock out three of your cards if I discard a Winged Beast from my hand, and I know just which one to ditch."

And although Jin kept the name of this monster anonymous, its effect was painfully apparent as a trio of burning feathers sliced through three of Joey's cards.

_Shit! Well, at least I still have four cards to work with, but none of them are what I need!_

"Ok, Jin, I'll place this monster on the field in defense mode, along with one card face down. Your move."

"Indeed it is, Wheeler, and I'm gettin' a smidge bit bored, so I'll just wrap this up real easy like. Now I summon Spark Soldier to the field, and for the last time I'll activate Lightspeed Summoning, paying 500 life points to sacrifice him for my rarest card, Rekka, the Wind Empress!" (1500/2200) Jin's latest monster was another soldier of the lightning, this time a golden armored character with a whip made of a superconductor cable that was charged so as to have an electrical effect. (1500/1000) However, this creature was soon abandoned for an ancient master of the winds and the sky, a slender figure whose face was masked in a hawk-shaped malachite helm, and the rest of her body was covered in thick armor similar to that of Zaborg, but this time was carved of jade. But the most noteworthy characteristic of this monster was the set of four wings planted upon her back. (2400/1000) "And because of Rekka's effect, I can wipe out one face down card for every monster on the field. I count four, so say goodbye to your face down card and monster!"

Rekka, mumbling some ancient language that is to this day only spoken by the wind, began to beat her great wings, slowly at first, but with increasing intensity, until such time as, with one final gust, twin streams of wind coursed from the wings and bent the earth.

The gusts also shattered Joey's face down cards…which is exactly what he wanted.

"Sorry, Jin, but you just gave me a clean shot. When you wiped my face down monster, you destroyed my Neko Mane King, and because it was destroyed by an effect you have to end your turn."

"Ah, you're the luckiest man alive, Wheeler. Ok, take your turn; it'll be your last."

Joey now drew the deciding card, and saw almost immediately that Jin was right.

"All right! Now it's time to end this, and it'll start with my playing Monster Reborn to summon the Insect Queen that you discarded earlier!" In a most uncharacteristic move, Joey saw fit to ignore his Red Eyes in favor of the hideously oversized crimson insect ruler favored by the late Weevil in many of his duels. (2200/2400) "I'll then summon Blue Flame Swordsman to the field in attack mode!" Joey's second monster was more fitting, as it was a cerulean rendition of his Flame Swordsman, including the hue of the burning sword he held. (1800/1600)

There was only one card left to play; he could only hope it worked.

"And now to welcome the last part of the puzzle. Let me introduce a card you'll never forget…the Legendary Dragon, Claw of Helmos!"

Aftermath of Inuyasha vs. Raphael

Raphael had known for some time that he shared a name with a Biblical archangel, a name which basically translated into "God has healed."

To him, this seemed a fairly appropriate name, for by his hand the world would be healed, and the godless heathens would know the meaning of judgment. But before such divine wrath could be administered, there were still many of the darkest to purge.

Such was the fate of the impure demon Inuyasha, guilty of the sins of both human and demon.

"Stop the truck."

Varon may have been a whiny brat from time to time, but at least he knew how to follow orders, which was more than could be said for many of his colleagues.

But even as the flatbed pickup drew to a halt, Raphael was more focused on what was held on the truck, the defeated Inuyasha, prone near one end of the Seal, stunned and incapable of motion. Ironic, considering that this was similar to how he had first been released.

"He really thought that he could defeat me, didn't he?"

The Seal was already beginning to contract upon the defeated hanyou, slowly drawing close so as to lock away his soul.

Varon, his part of the job being completed, popped quite expectedly to Raphael's side and leaned against the cab. "So this is considered a good soul?"

"Not a good soul; in humans and demons there's no such thing. However, there are powerful souls, and in spite of his mediocre talents in dueling Inuyasha has a spirit of some level of strength."

_But that spirit won't mean a thing compared to the others. Inuyasha was the first, and the weakest._

Still, at least his wicked heart would be of some use to the world.

In a desperate but futile attempt to save himself, the dog demon began to rise, barely able to stagger to his knees as the Seal's inner edge came within a foot of his body. Eyes that still held the blood of demons, but were now blank and glazed, locked with the cold blue of the hand of Dartz.

"Well, how the mighty have fallen. You kneel before me now, a broken man, if you can be called that. Every ounce of power you once held has been corrupted by the Seal you were stupid enough to think you could use, and for what? A brief glance at the power of full youkai?"

He said nothing, just gurgled a little bit.

"It seems that once again justice prevails over the sins of the darkest heart, and through the medium of Orichalcos you have shown yourself your own reality. You now have seen both halves, human and demon, and you'll have the rest of eternity to contemplate the grim truth of what you are, and what your greed shall create of you."

Again, no words, or any indication of cognizance save for a shuddered whisper.

"I bid you adieu, Inuyasha."

And with those crushing words, Raphael saw with a semblance of pride the final part of the Orichalcos effect, as the power of ten thousand years fused with Inuyasha's spirit energy as it rose into the sky, painfully extracted his soul in the process as he let fly a tormented shriek that split the ears of those who could hear it.

Varon, horrified by the awful yelp, clasped his ears, but Raphael and Tea did no such thing. The former enjoyed those screams as much as he enjoyed the process through which he got them, and the latter was in a deep shock at what had happened, rendering her immobile.

Just as soon as it had started, the soul extraction ceased, leaving behind a shell face down on the floor and his former girlfriend.

"So what are we gonna do with 'em, Raph?"

"We take back what's ours from the dog, and we ditch the cheerleader somewhere safe so she can find the Pharaoh."

"I'm on it."

Raphael allowed the younger one to pick up Gardner, praying that he wouldn't attempt to feel her up. But he couldn't think too much on that; it was time to reap the rewards of his venture, or his cut, rather.

As he was about to do this, Raphael noticed something very unusual: for some unknown reason Inuyasha's hair had turned black. Also, the dark influence of the Seal of Orichalcos had taken with it almost all forms of a demonic aura. In fact, from the looks of things every vestige of his demonic soul had vanished, leaving what seemed to be a normal human…

It didn't matter, though. If what he thought would occur had actually come to pass, then he was ready. And so he took back the Seal and the tournament key he had won.

"Ok, Raph, she's tucked safe and sound. Let's get moving."

"You go on ahead. I have to deal with something."

"Alright, but don't get angry if Dartz loses it."

"I don't intend to."

Varon was as confused as ever as he looked at Gardner, safely concealed in a small nook that even Hiei would not delve into. Still, Raphael seemed to know what he was doing in any event, and he was not the kind of guy to piss off. He'd seen the superior duelists in more than a few fistfights, and it was hardly ever fair.

"Go ahead. I'll be a minute."

Varon, unsure of what Raphael was going to do but aware that it did not involve him, hopped onto the motorcycle that was waiting for him on one side of the truck, gunned the engine, and screeched off to parts unknown._ Raphael's tough, but he sure is strange…_

For a moment or so, the Guardian duelist watched Varon speed off. As far as he was concerned, this was something that the loudmouthed delinquint was not meant to get involved in. This was no ordinary fight. 

This was a grudge match.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

Raphael did not need to turn around to see what was happening behind him, for he knew that the dog demon was lifting himself up, amber eyes turned into dark But then again, he really couldn't call Inuyasha a demon anymore, could he?

"I have a motto, Raph: never say die."

It was both impressive and sad at the same time, for as Raphael turned to the man he had shamed he could see that, in spite of his confidence, he could not back any of his threats. Barely able to stand, the bastard son of the most powerful dog in history looked as though he was just cast from the grace of God.

"You know you can't beat me, right?"

"Just one slash of the Windscar is all I need to hit you with, and you're done. The way I see it, your Orichalcos Shockwave will only hold a few times, and I haven't even shown you everything this sword can do."

Inuyasha had no idea of what had truly happened to him, no idea that in spite of his escape, he had lost almost all of his advantages. But Raphael expected that this lack of knowledge would not last for too much longer…especially since the former half-breed was now drawing out the Tetsuaiga in which he placed so much faith.

"You really think that will help?"

Inuyasha's face betrayed his recovering arrogance. "It's worked before."

For a moment, the hanyou seemed ready to attack, ready to call upon the Windscar, or perhaps a more powerful technique if he so chose. But in order for him to summon those techniques, he would need the blade to take on its true manifestation, and from the looks of things the rusted sword was in no mood to do anything of the sort.

"What the hell! Work, damn it!"

"It seems that the Tetsuaiga has a mind of its own. While it will not respond to those of full demonic heritage, it also seems not to hold full humans in the highest regard. Apparently only bastard sons of demons and humans can create the proper effect."

Inuyasha, as always when presented with something that went over his head, gained a confused look upon his features, unsure of what his latest enemy yet was implying. At least, this was the case until he looked by random chance into the reflection made by a sheet of metal nearby.

It was then that he saw himself, stripped of all demon powers or any semblance that he was a demon at all, left with nothing save the clothes on his back, his Duel Gauntlet, a useless sword…and his human shell.

He could not believe it. Even without the intervention of the new moon he had become full human. Unable to do anything else, he sheathed his sword

"How…how did this happen?" With nothing to vent his mounting ire upon, Inuyasha turned upon the man that had done this to him, bristling with hate and violent fury. "What did you do to me!"

"I did nothing save defeat you. It is the Seal of Orichalcos that you should accredit your newfound vulnerability to, for it obviously decided that your demonic soul was worth more than your human one. Therefore it was that soul, and your power, that became one with the Leviathan."

Inuyasha did not listen to this. All of his attention was focused on the full reality of what had become of him. He was _human, _and this reminded him very much so of what he had dreaded for so long in feudal Japan. But this time, it was not Naraku that he feared would discover his secret, a strange irony because the fused demon was still an evident threat.

However, Inuyasha was now more frightened of Hiei realizing his one true weakness, and if this was to be avoided, he would need to reclaim his dark mind from the Seal and the man who had given it to him.

"Tell me how to get my demon half back, you son of a bitch."

"I don't think so. Even if I wanted to help you, only Dartz or one of the three Legendary Dragons could release a soul from the Orichalcos. And from the looks of things, I don't think that the Pharaoh or any other wielder will help you in that department."

It was no surprise to Raphael that Inuyasha did not know what he meant by this.

"The Pharaoh? What does he have to do with it?"

"Never mind. In the meantime, I have better places to be, and better people to confer with."

The DOOM Soldier turned upon his heel and prepared to walk away, but he could still sense Inuyasha's presence, his mounting wrath, bubbling just beneath the surface and threatening to erupt in one great blaze of ignorant violence.

It was just as he had planned; he had known that with or without his piercing words, the hound would have resorted to Neanderthal methods to reclaim his soul, which was just what he wanted.

"You're not gonna escape that easily, Raphael. Not until you start talking."

"And what makes you think I'll talk?"

The rhythmic slap of calloused feet against cement answered the question perfectly.

With a sweep of his arm, Raphael loosed the heavy trenchcoat that hung over his shoulders, and sent it flying at where he estimated Inuyasha was attacking him from. Granted, he didn't hope for the ploy to succeed, but he did not want it to, either, which was why he leveled himself to face his opponent just as he forced the garment out of his path.

"So, it seems that you have not lost any of your unwarranted confidence. However, what makes you think that you can fight without your demon powers to back you up?"

"Ok, you talk way too much, so just shut up!"

And with that said, Inuyasha heaved his right arm into a haymaker, indicative of a passing familiarity to the art of boxing. However, he misjudged his swing and his own girth, which resulted in him losing balance. Luckily for him it did not allow Raphael enough of a timeframe to counterattack, and so he lighted back upon his feet.

"Not bad at all, half-breed, but I've got one better."

It was now Raphael's turn to go on the offensive, and given the oppurtunity he would seize it. Darting forward, he leveled two swift jabs from the left at Inuyasha's head, both of which were easily dodged, but they opened the path for a second, much stronger blow which crushed itself into the ex-demon's stomach as he tried to recover balance from the other strikes. Doubled over in searing pain, Inuyasha was unable to block the sweeping low roundhouse that slammed into the side of his head, sending him tumbling to the floor of the alley.

"Get up. I have no interest in killing a man while he is on his knees, even though I doubt I can actually call you a man to begin with."

Once more did Inuyasha stagger to his feet, but this time a dribble of blood forced itself from the corner of his mouth, and with a disgusting wheeze more blood followed in its wake._ This isn't working at all! How am I supposed to fight this guy without my demonic powers?_

He would have to try. 

Luckily, even as a full human Inuyasha was able to take more punishment than most, a trait which allowed him to run forward again and swing his fist towards his adversary. This time, however, he successfully kept balance and was able to sock Raphael in the jaw. It wasn't a critical hit, but it would do for the moment, and to follow it up he performed a jump kick which found a haven against his enemy's chest. This hit proved more fruitful, as it knocked the wind out of his adversary.

Knocked backwards by the strike, Raphael seemed to lose his cool for a moment, almost surrendering to his darkness, the black secret he had kept hidden in his soul for years. But this would not be allowed, and so he was able to maintain the control he would need to strike at Inuyasha, who was again charging him.

_Keep track of the fists. Don't bother with the feet too much, but watch them; kicks can easily be blocked, but can take you by surprise…_A punch from the left, one that he was able to pull away from. The punch connected, but it wasn't enough to hurt him significantly. It was followed by a fist from the other side, and this time he blocked with the corresponding arm. The punch stung, but he could handle it enough to use that arm in a brutal uppercut. And as was often the case with uppercuts, the attack failed to strike its target. However, it allowed him some surprise factor for a quick succession of four right jabs, two into Inuyasha's gut and the remaining two across his face.

The hanyou struggled desperately for breath, and was cut short by Raphael's own haymaker, which levelled him to the ground. Now pouring blood from his nose and mouth, Inuyasha seemed almost completely helpless, but not enough so to prevent him from swiping at Raphael's legs with his own.

The attempt failed, but Inuyasha was able to get enough time to stand once more. It was by no means an unwavering stance. In fact, he had lost so much blood that it was all he could do to stay remotely conscious.

But with reckless abandon he staggered forth one last time, unable to accept the defeat that was inevitable. He would reclaim his power, or die trying.

It was now almost laughably easy to swerve by the increasingly sloppy punches that Inuyasha launched, each one falling inches short of the target, and each growing weaker as time went by. His breath became labored, his motions ragged, and his constant stream of violent curses now drew silent. He wobbled drunkenly, head swimming, body aching with the pain of a thousand swords.

Inuyasha was now basically a walking target.

"You know why you lost, don't you?"

The dog demon could not answer, for he did not know himself.

"It's simple. You've been fighting using your demon energy for so long that you grew dependent on it. Instead of empowering both sides, light and dark, you focused all your power on your demonic strength, ashamed of your humanity and frightened every time it came to light. Whenever even an ounce of human soul emerged you hid away, praying no one would find out your weakness, when you could have trained yourself to avoid those weaknesses. But you didn't, and because of your arrogance you have lost both your demon power and your human strength."

"Damn you…"

Whatever else he had to say could not be said, for with one great swing Inuyasha was sent in a flash of pain into a brick wall, and he knew no more.

Roger vs. Espa Roba

Roger could not say he was completely devoid of his brief "memories" as a meandering bum in a pristine Paradigm City, and as such he remembered quite clearly what the city had looked like.

The card Espa Roba had played reminded him strongly of that metropolis…or how it would look at night, anyway.

From what once was a seductive lounge now burst forth an army of skyscrapers and city streets, department stores and residential apartments, businesses and vendors, and most amazingly, people. To be fair, their holographic programming was somewhat primitive compared to the monsters, but it was capable of illustrating fear and excitement to a degree.

It was an almost exact replica of that dreamland Paradigm.

"Interesting card, Roba. I assume you had good reason to play it."

"Actually, yes. This card is basically the reason that my Elemental Heroes exist, for it is the city they have sworn to defend with their life. And it also provides for an interesting field capability, for it grants them 1000 extra attack points each time they are engaged in "

"So basically your monsters have the perfect attack advantage."

"Pretty much. Anyway, I end my turn."

"My draw."_ Perfect._ "Unfortunately for you, Roba, my face down monster was unaffected by your Magic card, and I'll use it on an offensive level, presuming I can draw what I need using the King's Ransom Magic card." (3000/3000) "And I think I've drawn just the three cards I needed. First off, I'll flip up the monster I had played earlier, Supply Merchant Zoidochi, unaffected by your Magic because he is a Rock-type monster!" Roger's next monster was a haggard and worn old man, barely able to keep sane as he rose up from his management of the Makai trade routes. (200/850) "And because he is the only Dark monster on my side of the field when he is Flip summoned, I can draw two cards. Next, I'll activate the Magic card, Change of Heart, which I'll use to control your E-Hero Flaming Wingman!" As dictated by the divided spirit the card invoked, the devilish E-Hero was drawn to serve Roger. "Finally, I'll sacrifice these monsters to summon Antique Gear Golem in attack mode!"

Within an instant, the merchant and the hero were offered up, but the creature mentioned did not appear immediately. In fact, it took so long for the beast to arrive that it almost seemed that it was just a farce.

But as with any great device, a certain amount of preparation time was required to call it out.

After a moment, that time was up, and one of Roger's deadliest automatons rose from the concrete, a towering golem of gears and mechanics that looked strangely anachronistic, on the part of the aged iron and the Spartan helm that protected its main computer console. (3000/3000)

"Good job, negotiator, but not good enough. Even with your monster's power and the weakening of my own, the effect of Skyscraper will allow Edgeman to conquer your oversized toy soldier!"

But as was his capacity, Roger Smith had a few more tricks up his sleeve.

"Who said my turn was over? I still have this card to activate, the Equip Magic card known as Weapon Upgrade, which increases the attack of my Antique Gear Golem by 700 points!" To enhance his basically primitive combat capabilities, the Gear Golem was outfitted with two shoulder-mounted ballistic missile launchers and a heavy machine gun cannon built into the right hand. (3700/3000) "In other words, even with your Skyscraper card in effect, my Gear Golem will still eliminate your hero!"

The Antique Gear Golem, upon hearing these words, triggered the missile launchers that it now held, and fired a volley directly at Edgeman. The E-Hero, in turn, attempted to dodge these missiles as his attack was increased (3100/1600), but even his newfound power could not save him from the final missile, which tore through his thick armor before detonating, reducing Edgeman to a smear of blood and soot upon the ground. (3000/2400) "The way I see it, it would have been best to remove the strongest monster first, and deal with the rest later. So I'll place one card face down, and end my turn."

"An interesting theory, Roger Smith. But I'm afraid that it will only help me. My move." Espa Roba, upon seeing his latest card, was almost exultant in joy. "This duel is over! I activate the Magic card, Miracle Fusion, which I'll use to remove from play my Flaming Wingman in my grave and the Sparkman you were too proud to destroy! This will allow me to summon a hero you won't defeat, the E-Hero Shining Flare Wingman!"

Even as Roger watched, the sacrificed Flaming Wingman and the final surviving hero became combined, their molecular structures fluctuating and combining into one singular entity, one that the negotiator had neither seen nor heard of before.

But there it stood, a towering soldier from the heavens that appeared to be the Flaming Wingman clad in silver armor that emitted its own divine light, as did the dominating wings that were a fusion of futuristic technology and the power of the angels. (2500/2000)

"I know what you're thinking, negotiator, and while it may seem that my monster is too weak to stand against your Gear Golem, it has an ability that shall allow it to overcome that weakness. You see, my monster gains 300 extra attack points for every E-Hero that is in the graveyard, which allows my creature an extra 1800 attacks points! From where I stand, that's more than enough power to take down your machine." (4300/2000)

Espa Roba, however, was not a complete idiot, and he knew that Roger's face down card could be a problem, so he saw fit to wait for a moment, until he was absolutely certain that the card was not a threat.

That confirmation came after only a moment: it was a bothersome card, but not a particularly dangerous one.

"Ok, let's wrap this up! Shining Flare Wingman, destroy his monster with Divine Wing Swipe!"

The seraphic defender, upon command, took to the light polluted skies and charged forward to defeat his mechanical foe. The foe in question, in a final desperate attempt at salvation, began to swing wildly at the E-Hero, but in the end his desperate strikes were quelled by one crackling arch of divine power that shattered the golem into his varying components. (2400/2400) "And I'm afraid that the battle is not done, for when my Shining Flare Wingman destroys an enemy monster, that monster's attack strength is deducted from your own life points!"

"Not this time! Reveal face down card, Trap of Board Eraser! You see, I expected that a duelist like you would have some kind of burn effect in the works, so I decided to counteract that effect using a card which negates damaging effects of exactly that kind! And normally it would remove a card from your hand, but it looks like you've pretty much done that to yourself."

"I have to say I'm impressed. But I don't think you'll be able to hold out against me for too much longer…at least that will be the case if my prediction holds. For now, I end my turn."

"Don't try and blindside me with your delusions and irrationality, Roba; I've met many people who have a higher power, and you're not one of them. My move!"

_Not too bad, although a monster could have served me better_. "I'll place one card face down, and end my turn. Your move."

"Well, from the looks of things, you're pretty desperate. But then again, if you had been able to summon a monster it would only have helped me out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to confer with an associate of mine, but it's no human associate."

He waited for a moment, expecting a name of some kind, until…

"Sorry, bro. We couldn't figure out what he held in his hand."

Panic became the definition of Espa Roba's countenance at that moment.

"What? You're kidding me!"

His whispers were not perceived by any of the others around him, fortunately.

"He held it funny. We couldn't see a picture or a name, but we do know it's a Trap."

_Shit. Now I don't know what to expect from this moron…_

"You're getting off lucky, Roger. I'll place a monster in defense mode and end my turn." And privately, he hissed a warning of "Don't screw this up again!" 

"That's fine with me. I draw." Roger looked at his card for a moment or so, and realized he knew exactly what to do. "I activate the card I had face down, Jar of Greed, to draw a card from my deck."

_Jesus Christ! I could have ended this in my last turn!_

"I'm not done yet. Next I'll place a monster in defense mode, and end my turn with one card face down. You're up." 

"Indeed I am. My move." The radio in his ear buzzed into life again, and this time there was an accurate report on the monster. The face down card was as yet unknown, but they were certain that it was not anything in the manner of a Mirror Force or Magic Cylinder.

_Nothing I can't handle_."Your monsters don't mean anything to me! I'll take them apart one by one, and my face down monster will help me with that! I flip up the monster known as E-Hero Wildman!"

Espa Roba's next monster did not seem to fit the breed of the other heroes, nor any civilized being for that matter. Appearing to have lineage in Aborigine bloodlines, the savage hero was clad in tribal fittings and elaborate tattoos of the same nature. (1500/1600) "Next, I'll activate the card I just drew, E-Hero Archives, to draw a number of cards equal to the number of E-Heroes I have on my side of the field, as well as one more card because one of those heroes has eight stars, so I can draw three cards. I'll then follow that up by activating my second Miracle Fusion, to fuse E-Hero Wildman and the E-Hero Edgeman in my graveyard into E-Hero Jaggyman! And although it may cost Shining Flare Wingman 300 attack points, it will only benefit me in the end!" (4000/2000)

Once more did Miracle Fusion work its magic, combining Edgeman and Wildman into a second powerful hero, which appeared to be Wildman clad in a fragmented form of Edgeman's armor. (2600/1900) "Next, I'll play Metamorphosis, which allows me to sacrifice a monster on my side of the field, and special summon a fusion monster with the same number of stars, so I'll offer up Jaggyman to summon E-Hero Tempester to the field!" Just as quickly as he was called forward, Jaggyman was sent into oblivion in exchange for a second dominating hero, a heavily muscled warrior with the fittings of E-Hero Sparkman and the head and altered wings of E-Hero Featherman. (2800/2800) "Finally, I'll activate the Hero's Reunion Magic card, which allows me to resurrect an E-Hero that was sent to the grave during this turn, and also draw a number of cards equivalent to half that monster's level. However, if I use this effect I cannot attack during this turn."

As Roba said this, the disgraced E-Hero was reborn, and the fraudulent psychic now had four more cards to work with. "I've got one more play to make. I'll place one card face down, and then I'll activate my third and final Polymerization, to fuse the Sparkman and Clayman I've drawn into E-Hero Thunder Giant, which grants Shining Flare Wingman an extra 600 points!"

The final fusion of the turn resulted in a dominating titan of a hero, a thickly muscled golden warrior that appeared to be a steroid-enhanced Sparkman with a set of electrically charged claws. (2400/1500) At the same time, the divine leader of the heroes gained extra strength from the fall of two others of its troupe. (4600/2000)

The situation had worsened beyond anyone's belief. Not only was Roger incapable of using any strong monsters successfully, but he now had to stare down four of the strongest monster in the game.

There was not a lot of hope to be had, and it looked as though the manipulated heroes would take the day over memories.

Tanzanite Avenue

There were three thousand duelists in the godforsaken city of New Paradigm, most of them unworthy and incompetent in the game for which they had been abducted. However, there were a small few in the tournament that could be considered the best in the world; some, like Kaiba and Yugi, were household dueling names, while others, such as Genkai, were almost mythical dueling legends. And there were a minimal few in the city who were completely unknown, but whose skills were on par with world champions.

Naraku fit the third grouping exactly, and it was a talent he had always used to his own advantage.

For thirty-five years he had trained in the game, gaining knowledge and insight into its thousands of strategies that Pegasus himself was not privy to. He developed many counterattacks and hundreds of debilitating moves to defeat almost every deck archetype, and had even gone so far as to create the ultimate Wind deck, which was the basis of decks used by Mai Valentine and others.

But even those accomplishments were not enough. Naraku knew that for every plan he created, Hiei Jagenshi and his own army of duelists would have another lying in wait, fully prepared to eradicate every step of progress he had made.

This was why he had spent every spare moment for the past decade in two ventures: the creation and fine tuning of a Duel Monsters deck that was beyond defeat, and the collection of his own personal organization, which included the ten humans before him dressed in business suits and shuffling through miscellaneous papers.

Officially, Naraku and his partners were a legitimate trade company known as Muso and Associates, but in reality the office was a vice ring, involved mainly in drug trafficking illegitimate gambling institutions, and contraband arms distribution. Granted, it did not have the clout of the Black Shadow or Paradision, but Naraku's particular circumstances did not call for any great level of power, just enough to endure the toil of his modern day operations.

He was an adaptable creature, and he knew that fear would not be enough to defeat his enemies in this arena.

"I assume that you have produced something of worth today, gentlemen?"

They had only been with him for a few years, but already Naraku had grown tired of the merchants and their gross incompetence. Like himself, they were lucrative and manipulative, but they also had the notable flaw of being total idiots.

"Well, we do have a few boycotts in mind so as to take down the Union's economic standing, and we've begun to monopolize the local small weapons industries."

"Anything else?"

"Actually, we've just received a shipment of methamphetamines and cocaine. It's not much, but it will succumb the local markets until we can gain more."

Overall, Naraku had a firm grip on his temper, a trait which had come very much in handy while he battled Inuyasha, but that control was beginning to give way to violent rage. He did not want this garbage; he knew very well what his current assets were, and he wanted results.

"Tell me, do you have anything useful for me, or are you simply going to read statistics all day?"

"Sir, this is the daily business as it has been for six years; whatever do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I am very much aware of what has been going on in our ventures. We have not turned up anything of worth for some time, and I want to know why."

There was silence all around. No one wanted to speak, for fear of inciting his wrath any more than they already had.

"Speak, or I swear I shall dismember each and every one of you."

Again, none dared opened their mouths. All knew of Naraku's reputation, they knew what would become of them if he discovered their activities.

But none were aware that he had known all along about how they had been stealing from the company's coffers.

He could smell it, their fear and their trepidation, as they slowly began to descend into the madness in which they had cocooned themselves. And by this he reached a decision, that he was fully capable of managing his affairs without the help of the deceitful before him.

"It seems to me as though you thieves and charlatans use silence as a shield; a clever move, one used by those such as yourselves for millennia. But unfortunately for you, it is a shield I have easily crushed before, and it is time to use it against you."

There was a brief moment of perplexity on the merchants' part, as they began to look about themselves like frightened rabbits, searching for what Naraku meant.

"Yes, silence is your fortress…but it shall also be your grave."

At that very moment the door to the meeting room opened.

In a mad panic, the businessmen drew out firearms of every conceivable type, from a pair of derringers, to a light semiautomatic, to a large magnum, and even a shotgun with a sawed-off barrel was present.

All were pointed at Naraku's head, and all were fully loaded.

He was not impressed or even surprised by this sudden display of human banality, and if he was in a better mood he might have laughed. But in this case, he simply folded his arms and leaned back in the chair, mildly curious as to which one of them would shoot first.

The guns roared into life, all unloading at once and scattering discarded shells all over the floor. Bullets and shotgun spray flood the atmosphere, and terrified yells went up from the assailants as they kept firing and firing. However, they did not continue their bombardment for the sake of vengeance.

It was simply that no amount of ammunition was able to break the demonic barrier he had set up around himself, a singular glowing bubble of spirit energy that absorbed the bullets as if they were flies.

"H…he's not human…for the love of God, RUN!"

Their self-control giving way to instinct and fear, the board of directors ran from their chairs, knocking them and the table over in a mad rush for the exit. Stumbling over each other and forcing any that stood before them to the side, they eventually tumbled through the threshold and into the hall.

Now it was only a matter of time.

He heard the first attack fall almost immediately, a gruesome crack of the rending of bone. A shriek rose up in response, only to be reduced to a bloody gargling. There were then three consecutive slaps of fist against flesh which ended in dull thumps against the hardwood, and finally what could only be the swipe of a sword decapitating the rest.

And then there was silence once more.

_In the end, all the money and all the power these men controlled could not save them from death. A lesson you should hold close, Jagenshi._

From the darkened hall came footsteps, the tread of the slayer who could not hear the screams of his victims or utter his own. The man who embodied the dark silence, who had lived in it his whole life. 

"Impressive, Noir. Your skills have increased dramatically since your last training session."

The man in question entered, a frail, almost ghostlike figure with skin that was literally paper white and that stretched over his bones so as to create the perception that he was little more than a skeleton. Covering that sickly frame was an ensemble of clothing that hung loosely upon it; the outfit comprised of a black silk suit, a tattered midnight blue overcoat, and a sloping jet fedora that barely allowed one to see his impossibly dark sunglasses and the graying black hair upon his head. Attached to his arm was a Duel Gauntlet, but it had a small speaker system built into it near the lifepoint counter.

In one hand was a blood-soaked wooden katana, and in the other a set of five ordinary playing cards that were similarly stained. With a single flick of the wrist, the cards were set onto the floor before Naraku, revealing a royal flush of spades.

And with a series of quick motions of fingers Noir spelled out a message in an adapted form of sign language.

'You know what they say, Naraku. The house always wins.'

Kagome vs. Yami no Marik

The end was near, and everyone knew it.

For the second time in this duel Yami no Marik was drawn deep into Ra's power, allowing his entirety to become one with the reincarnated god's own. Blood fused with ichor, soul blended with spirit, and blasphemy merged with doctrine as the strongest creature to ever walk the earth regained his lost power. (24799/24799) (2300/1)

"What shall you do now, Kagome, now that your only defense against Ra is vanquished? My monster now has more attacks points than all of your outcasts, and with that power shall I destroy you. Winged Dragon of Ra, it is time to end this duel! Attack Kagome's Angel of Judgment!"

For what was to be the final time, Ra summoned his ancient fury and formed it into an orb of shadow fire that would send even the angels to an early grave. All present could smell the death coursing from the dragon's gullet, which now became an overpowering reek that brought the angels to their knees.

Only Saturn had the willpower to stare into the eyes of the darkness, and instead of struggling for breath, he clasped his hands in silent prayer.

"Your prayers mean nothing! STRIKE HIM DOWN!"

The blast was fired once more, and it seemed that Kagome's miracles would finally falter. All eyes fell upon it, and all saw within that shot the new beginning; none knew why, but every one of them knew that once this duel was over, the tournament would never be the same.

But for now, it was time for Kagome to act.

"Reveal face down card, Shield Spell!"

And at that moment, Saturn's prayers were answered, for from the point where his hands connected materialized a shield made entirely of glass. It appeared to be fragile and priceless, as though a single whisper could break it to pieces. However, it was indeed capable of absorbing the attack of Ra, as well as becoming a glistening fairy dust which swirled about Kagome and rejuvenated her. (14700/1)

"WHAT!"

"It's pretty simple to understand, Yami no Marik. The Quick-Play Magic I just used can negate your attacks, and increase my lifepoints by half of the attacker's defense. Rounded up, that figures out to 12400 extra points."

The spirit's face was beyond livid, the empty space where his eye would be oozing blood and spirit energy as his entire face warped in outright hate. His god had been bested _again! _How did it keep happening?

"DAMN YOU, KAGOME! YOUR TRICKS MAY HAVE SAVED YOU IN ANCIENT EGYPT IN YOUR FIRST INCARNATION, BUT THEY WILL NOT SAVE YOU HERE! I'LL FIND A WAY TO PIERCE YOUR SHIELDS; YOU'LL RUN OUT OF TRAPS AND QUICK-PLAYS EVENTUALLY, SO IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME! AND I JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD!"

The truth was out. Yami, who had been made aware of this earlier, was not horribly surprised. But Kagome did not believe it.

"Ancient Egypt? Is that what you've been talking about this whole time?"

"Quite correct. To be fair, however, you should have been able to figure it out a long time ago."

"Ok, please explain to me how I was supposed to figure out that I have a second past life as an Egyptian Kikyo!"

With a world-weary look upon his face as though he had to explain death to a child, the demonic soul looked at the Pharaoh. "Must I explain everything to her, Atem?" He then turned back to Kagome. "At any rate, it is indeed true that in the land of the Pharaohs you were once a priestess. However, in those days you were no mere shrine girl. No, you were a High Priestess of the god Osiris!

"Long ago, before you or the Pharaoh's host were born, Atem's lands were split asunder with the battles of the Shadow Games. The rivers ran red with blood, villages fell to those who controlled the darkness, and the fate of entire cities often fell to the victor in one of these games. Chaos ruled the nation, and beasts of unimaginable power roamed under the leash of those who could rein them in.

"For this reason, many priests and priestesses were summoned forth to attempt and quell these warlords, but in the end, it was the High Priestess Kikyo that realized what needed to be done. So she herself took up the Shadow Games, and at the same time tempered her inner soul to create the powers that you and she now control. Using this newfound power she defeated hundreds, and her name became synonymous with victory.

"It was for this reason that Atem summoned her and others like her to his palatial abode, when an even greater darkness was summoned for him and his own priesthood to do battle with. The full knowledge of that battle is unknown, but what we do know is this: the memories that he holds are nothing without the battle which brought Kikyo into his arms!

"And that is the true knowledge I wanted you to find, Kagome, the revelation that shall bring me the crown of Egypt! Didn't you ever wonder why Yami fell for you as quickly as he did? Didn't it ever occur to you that one such as he would have greater taste? And did you not ever ponder as to why he fell so readily for the modern Kikyo? It's simple. He didn't love you; he loved your past life! You were merely a reincarnation of his true love, a meager substitute to take her place when she was not around! Destiny brought you together, but in fact it brought the Pharaoh and the Priestess together! And when the true Kikyo came into his world he discarded you like a piece of meat! Admit it, you're nothing more than a placeholder for his lover, something to hold him over until the real thing enters and takes your place!_ He will never love you; he will always love Kikyo!"_

With this Yami no Marik let loose a screeching cackle, no matter how much it caused his wounds to smart. He took comfort in knowing that the old wounds she had were causing her a pain far greater than his own.

And in that moment Yami himself began to panic. The kiss of the priestess had driven a wedge between him and Kagome before, and he could not let it happen again.

"Don't listen to him, Kagome. Every word he speaks is a lie."

"Is it, Atem? The Messenger of Hiei came to you through Yugi, did he not? He told you that Kikyo existed in olden times. How could you possibly know whether you fell for her in the olden times?"

And for the first time, Yami fell silent, unable to counter his claim.

"Speak, oh great Pharaoh! Enlighten us with your silver tongue! Do regale us with the great and wondrous story of how you defied five thousand years of locked passion and rejected Kikyo for an inferior imitation! Or perhaps you cannot. Perhaps after all this time you see that it is the true Priestess that you love…"

_"Enough!"_

It was not Yami that called for silence; strangely, it was Kagome.

"I don't know what happened in Egypt all those years ago, and frankly I don't care. If I ever needed proof that Yami loves me more than her, it's that he came back. And besides, do you really expect me to take your word over his?"

Yami no Marik's body began to tremble again, but in a fit of violent rage.

"It's time someone teaches you a lesson, Higurashi! But for now, I shall end my turn."

"I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. My move." Kagome, as dictated, drew her card, and her eyes lit up in victory. "It's over. I activate the Magic card, Spell Mirror, which allows me to activate one Magic card from my graveyard, but I must pay 500 lifepoints to use the effect. And from the look on your face, you must know exactly what card I intend to use! Return to the field, Sanctuary of the Sky!" (14200/1)

_No! How could this have happened to me?_

The final Magic card Kagome would have to play was, as the name implied, an overly ornate golden mirror, seemingly forged in the ancient smithies of legend, and deep within the mystical confines of this mirror was contained a blank Magic card. After a moment or so, the card took upon itself the image of Kagome's principal Field Magic, and activated it, thus causing the ancient citadel of the angels to return to the field. 

"No! This isn't possible! How could this…this harlot have defeated me? It must be a trick!"

"No tricks this time, except maybe the one you set up here. And now, it's time to end this. I sacrifice Saturn-Angel of Judgment, to inflict damage to you equal to the difference between our life points!"

_It doesn't matter if he loved Kikyo or not; I love him anyway._

Saturn, the final Judge of the dark soul, rose above all others, climbing up into the dark rafters of the Shadow Realm and emitting his divine light onto the duel. As his glory ascended, the dark monstrosity Yami no Marik had first called down began to shrink back into the nightmare from whence it had been summoned. 

"You can't do this to me! I am to be the next Pharaoh! I am of the bloodline of the gods!"

"Then I guess you'll be going back to the gods! SATURN, ACTIVATE YOUR EFFECT!"

Once those words slipped off of Kagome's tongue, the ruler of the heavens instantly took on his true form, abandoning his manifestation of the human world and becoming a shapeless mass of ethereal light that was only capable of existing in the higher plane of God himself. And once the mortal shell had been discarded, it was clear that the angel had transformed into a being beyond even Ra.

"The soul of the true duelist…", Yami intoned to himself.

"By the power of God, I condemn you to Hell!"

With that, the being lifted his hand from within the shimmering incandescence, and sent a beam of that indescribable light upon Yami no Marik, who attempted vainly to shield his eyes from the glory which was to be his downfall. And after a moment he and Ra were wreathed in the searing power, while the monster he had called rescinded into the shadows; it knew that any feeding done today would only destroy it.

In the end, his own darkness, the darkness which stemmed from blood and dementia, would not stand before the light. But he knew that by his hand the seeds of their defeat had been sown.

"Do you really think that this proves anything, my dear, this little victory of yours? Well, I wouldn't enjoy it for very long; Kikyo's presence shall never be far behind, and her soul shall haunt you for the rest of your time together. Every kiss that you share, he will be thinking of her. Every time you see each other, he will instead see the Priestess. And do not think for a moment that he will ever grow to love you, for that is merely naiveté and delusion. Yes, I may have lost this duel, but I can die knowing that you will lose something much greater!"

Even as he said this, the light began to take its effect, causing Ra to steadily dissolve into the shadows, crumbling into oblivion as the sun god was damned. And soon enough, Yami no Marik's body fell to the light, perishing with the beast he had fused himself with; what was strange was that a single perverted grin was stamped across his face in the final instant of his life.

But she paid it little mind. He could grin all he wanted in the bowels of the Shadow Realm. (12400/0)

And besides, I'm way too tired to think about any of it. I've had enough of Shadow Games and Ancient Egypt for one day…

Kagome, her spirit and miko energies exhausted by the prolonged exposure to Ra and the Heart of Darkness, wobbled drunkenly about for a minute as she tried to find her bearings in the mortal world in which she found herself again. 

She did not even feel herself collapse into Yami's arms.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

Her eyes slowly worked their way up to his; they were bleary and exhausted, but not quite as much as Joey's had been in his confrontation with Ra.

"I…think so. He's dead, right?"

"Of course. He'll never hurt you again."

It was then that Kagome felt the slight weight in her hand, which felt strangely like a key of some kind. Apparently this was the indicator of tournament victory that everyone was so keen after.

"And the Winged Dragon of Ra?"

"I don't know. Either the card was destroyed, or it was a counterfeit of some kind, meaning that the real Dragon is still in this city somewhere. But that doesn't matter right now."

Yami could care less about the God Cards at that moment, though in the back of his mind he felt as though he should. Kagome was by his side again, and this time she would not slip through his fingers.

_Thank you, Kikyo._

"What he said, it isn't true, is it?"

"It's hard to tell. I don't know everything that happened to me in those days, even with the Puzzle's memories woken, but I'm here with you now, and that's all that matters."

The reborn priestess did not answer him in words, but with a gesture which basically meant the same as a hundred sentences: a single kiss on the cheek.

"Yami, can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything."

"Could you just…hold me, for a moment? I'm too tired to walk."

"It's ok. So am I."

"Thanks."

But it was quite obvious that neither were interested in whether they were able to move, a truth made clear when Yami drew her closer to him, and clearer still when she squeezed his shoulders in response. For the second time, nothing else mattered.

After all those years, Yami no Yuugi and Kagome Higurashi were both at peace, simply by holding each other in a loving embrace of reconciliation. And this time, there would be no one who could tear them apart.

Small Restaurant, Slums of New Paradigm

Cheap beer and cheaper tobacco. It seemed as though that was the range of odors in most of the restaurants in New Paradigm, but this particular dive seemed to magnify the disgusting rancidity by at least a hundred fold. The reek was not the only problem, however; the paint was slowly peeling off the walls, as though the manager could not afford to repaint anything. The tables were barely recognizable beneath the layer of inked obscenities, the taps were rusted, the bathrooms were horrific beyond description, at least half of the chairs were coated in blood, and the only patrons were the pushers and junkies that the New Paradigm City Council had vainly attempted to sweep beneath the rug.

Normally the man known simply as Enzeru would never have even considered entering such a den of inequity, but in his case it was an unpleasant necessity.

"So, ya want something to drink or are ya gonna just sit there?"

"I'll pass."

"You gotta buy something, or I'm gonna hafta ask ya to leave."

With a look of quiet disdain upon his face, Enzeru looked up at the man who had been pestering him, a heavyset Slavic of some effect with greasy clothing and a half-empty bottle of gin in his right hand.

"As I said, I'll pass." Enzeru did not feel particularly inclined to fight at that moment, but he was expecting to anyway.

"And as I said, buy something, or get the hell outta my store!"

"I'm afraid I must insist you keep a level of self control. Now, I shall not be having anything for the moment, but I'll pay you for your hospitality once I'm finished here."

He knew the type of man he was dealing with very well, and he knew how much longer it would take to quiet him. The only question now was exactly what kind of weapon the man would use.

"BUY something, you fucking hick!"

Enzeru, who had by this time grown tired of the bloated sin peddlar and the thick reek of alcohol on his breath, simply held his tongue.

And right on time, the owner snapped and pulled out a lengthy Bowie knife, a surprising weapon for such a corpulent man, which he brought within inches of Enzeru's neck.

"Now, ya gonna buy something, or not?"

The Guardian decided that it was time for his actions to do the speaking for him, and so he lifted the table upwards, knocking away the blade and the owner with it. Somehow able to keep his balance the drunk charged, making sloppy and misplaced strikes at every point except for Enzeru's body, until the warrior clamped onto his adversary's arm.

Enzeru, in one swift motion, snapped the bone in half.

It was an awe-inspiring sight for most of the other patrons: the rude and obnoxious manager sobbing like a baby with his arm twisted at an unnatural angle, with part of the bone jutting out just beneath the skin, and the enigmatic soldier calmly sitting down to finish what he was doing.

The expected whispers began to generate, and Enzeru continued what he should have finished much earlier, which was why he had begun to thumb through a manila folder he had brought with him.

As he had anticipated, the information contained therein was not great, but it would serve his purposes.

_So according to this document, the main control of this city falls into the hands of four specific people: Vera Ronstadt, Naraku, Dartz, and Hiei, each with their own specific grasp on power. Vera operates through the Union, Naraku through Muso and Associates, Dartz through the Paradision Corporation, and Hiei through the Black Shadow Syndicate._

He had been aware of this for some time, unfortunately, since he had monitored most of their activities over the past year or so. However, the documentation he had been allowed did grant him some heretofore unavailable data. 

_Apparently the Union has the most control of the city, and from the looks of things the other three depend on Vera to keep their actions secret and legal. But the Union itself is involved in some very shady dealings; something to do with the defense of the city, but from what?_

_Muso and Associates is pretty straightforward, a mercantile business which uses its shipping permits to transport drugs and weapons to and from the rest of the world. It's also responsible for the bulk of the Union's shipping interests as far as narcotics are concerned._

_Paradision mostly tweaks the finance of the city; it has the most control of the New Paradigm stock market, which explains why Raphael was there at the time of the failed bombing. Dartz may have had a hand in that, but why?_

_But it's the Black Shadow that has me worried. It supposedly came into existence about two weeks after Hiei rose to power. No one knows how or even where it operates, and every person who has tried to locate its headquarters has ended up dead. But what is known is that Hiei and a group of subordinates run the operations, which basically cover every profitable crime in the book._

It would explain how Hiei had been able to orchestrate such a tournament as this, and also why Vera had been conferring with him on an almost weekly basis. Apparently the main accomplices of the demon were the reporter Michael Seebach, the ninja Akuren, and most recently the "sorceress" Kagura. 

The whole situation was sordid beyond belief, and before continuing with it Enzeru rubbed his eyes for a moment.

_As far as anyone knows, Hiei Jagenshi was to be executed by an order of Koenma, due to unscrupulous actions that would have involved the toddler prince in an elaborate scandal had he survived. But somehow he had obtained the Sennen Eye, Scales, and Ankh and was able to eliminate Koenma. From what is recorded this gave him the opportunity to destroy his prison cell and take the Spirit World by force. After a month of this he had coerced the Demon World to side with him, and with a few exceptions he had their total loyalty. He then began work in the human world, convincing Seebach and others to side with him, but leaving no one behind that could specifically point him out. The last known strike that Jagenshi made was the raid on Tokyo where he kidnapped that Kagome girl and absconded with her few remaining shards of the Shikon no Tama. However, this was preceded by a similar attack against Naraku in feudal Japan._

It did not list any possible leads that would allow him to find Hiei; most of his higher-ups did not have any contacts that could be traced, and the soldiers that would talk were dead or in hiding. Kagome and Kikyo, the only ones capable of tracking jewel shards, had not been able to sense him, and rumor had it that the elder priestess had died. No paper trails or credit ledgers were to be found, since most of the operations used to pay for the Black Shadow's massive assets were clandestine and never monitored. Spirit World was all but inaccessible, Makai did not take too favorably to spies, and the Citadel of Chaos had no way of tracking his movements or his fortress. The option most readily available to him was the leviathan of a cruiser that Hiei used, but that was so heavily guarded that it would take ten armies to enter. 

It appeared that there would be only one way to find Hiei: track him down personally. The others were nominal at best, and would likely wipe themselves out before it was said and done. But unless the fire and ice demon was hunted and destroyed he would obtain a power unimaginable, and no one would be able to defeat him.

The time had begun to start the hunt, but where exactly could he begin? His Tempus Astrum was all but useless in locating a being of such strength, and none of the Pharoah's friends could locate him.

There seemed, as always, to be no path to the dark heart, merely circular roads that only brought the walker back to where he started. And then it struck him, the path he would need to take to become victorious. He would seek out Hiei, yes, but ultimately he would not need to.

For Enzeru knew that eventually, Hiei would come for him.

Kaiba and Botan vs. Tsubaki and Pegasus

"So this is where it ends, Pegasus. I never did repay you for what happened to Mokuba under your twisted hands, so now I think it's time to make good on my promise of destroying you! And this particular Ritual monster will make short work of that!"

"Oh really?", sneered the dark priestess, whose voice was dripping with venom. "Remember that Pegasus controls the strongest monster on the field, and I myself control the strongest Magic card on the field! And even if your monster could defeat us, Pegasus's Gravity Bind card shall prevent it from attacking!"

Pegasus knew otherwise, and his eyes grew wide in terror as he realized what was to become of him.

"It's time to end this duel! I sacrifice Obelisk the Tormentor to activate Throne of the Dragon, which shall allow me to summon Onaga, the Dragon King!"

From the Magic card zone on his field emerged what appeared to be an ancient throne of some kind, seemingly hewn from the bones and skulls of dead humans, demons, and dragons. At the end of each armrest was a jewel-encrusted crystal egg which was presumably based on the eggs of dragons, and set into the back of the throne was a trio of skulls.

Botan had seen many expressions on Kaiba's face in this duel, each one indicative of a different facet of his personality. She had seen confidence, pride, victory, compassion, and, to her at least, sensuality. But the look in his eyes was completely different as he looked upon the throne of his latest monster. His face reflected one of mankind's most primal emotions, one that Hiei created and that Schwarzvald fed upon.

Kaiba, for whatever reason, was terribly frightened, though only she could see it.

Obelisk, whether by programming, knowledge, or perception of his soverign's own fears, displayed an equally subtle sense of dread as it was drawn onto the throne, unsure of exactly what would occur. Even by the standard of the gods the throne had an incredible level of dark energy flowing through it, like the spirit of a trapped devil.

The Egyptian God Monster had only to sit in the ancient chair for a moment before the black soul that was locked inside the throne awoke, and Obelisk reacted in kind. It was an unusual sight to behold: the Dark Colossus wracked with spasms and foaming at the mouth, clawed hands grasping onto the armrests with such intensity as to draw blood from between the fingers, bellowing throaty curses at the top of its lungs, until the twin eggs began to emit a repulsive green light which consumed the entirety of the throne and blotted out everything else on the field.

And when the light dissipated, Obelisk was gone, sent on to another world, but in his place was a creature equally as strong.

Standing up from the heathen throne was a wicked behemoth that appeared to be of a forgotten breed of dragon and demon, with thick green scales and lengthy taloned claws. Its muscled frame was partially covered in copper and brass armor, and on its back was a set of great pinions that would allow it to sear the very skies. As for Onaga's countenance, it was not exactly a pleasant thing to behold, for behind its grand crest of horns was a set of sickly yellow eyes which displayed a great level of arrogance. (3600/3000)

"Pegasus, what exactly are we dealing with here? It seems that all he did was summon a powerful monster."

"He's done much more than that, I'm afraid…"

"You're quite correct. By summoning Onaga the Dragon King, I am allowed to destroy up to two monsters on the field, two magic and trap cards on the field, and discard two cards in your hand. And because we're using him in a tag team duel, he is allowed to use his effect on both of your fields! So in this case, I'll use the effect to destroy Toon World, Gravity Bind, Dark Snake Syndrome, and Soul of the Dark Serpent! I'll also discard two cards from the both of you, but I'll pass on the ability of destroying monsters, because the way I see it there would be no point in doing so."

Once the effect was activated, Onaga drew from an unknown source a set of Chinese blades, one made of an almost gossamer crystal glass, and the other of unobtrusive and crude granite. Almost immediately after they were called from the other side, the swords began to pulse with the dark magic that had allowed him to control Outworld, at which point the draconic emperor began to whisper to them. This continued for a moment or so until the swords themselves rose into the sky and burst into thousands of burning daggers which rained down upon the field, punching through two cards apiece in the other duelists' hands. At the same time, a set of these fragments crushed the gravity spell set on the field, along with the source of the phantom serpents.

Pegasus's Toon World was the next card to go, and for the fourth and perhaps last time the infamous Magic card was dethroned, punctured by the hail of sharpnel and scorched into little but a burning hard cover with a pile of ashes which once were pages. And by the fall of the cartoon back also came the long-awaited defeat of Toon Obelisk, the first and last of his kin, for even with his distorted fury he was still a Toon, and depended on that same text to survive. It was thus that Toon Obelisk the Tormentor went the path of the book from whence he came, bursting into a singular jet of fire which consumed him in his entirety and left nothing but a thin layer of soot and two bulging red eyes which inexplicably sprouted feet and walked off to parts unknown.

"No! My precious Toon God! How could you do this? You…you…YOU BIG MEANIE!"

It was not at all what Botan or Tsubaki expected from such a powerful duelist, indicated by the reaper's befuddled glance and the priestess's seething grimace. But Kaiba had expected it, and he knew that in summoning his most hated creature, he had also played into the lunatic's hands.

"There's something you're not telling me, Pegasus. I've known you for far too long, and I can tell quite easily the difference between your poker face and legitimate despair. So you may as well tell me now: how did my destroying your "God" Card benefit you?"

Pegasus, for the first time, did not answer, even in a riddle. Tsubaki, however, did respond, and in a bizarre and altogether disturbing way.

"WRONG, KAIBA!"

Her voice, unlike her usual reserved and bitter tone, now reached a harsh crescendo of victorious madness which grated heavily on the eardrums of everyone involved in this duel. Those who could transcend that, however, were able to see her true feelings all too clearly.

"Did you really believe that the effect of Soul of the Dark Serpent was limited only to the effects it had on the field? If that is the case, then you are indeed the supreme moron on this world. After all, the effects you have seen so far, powerful as they might be, are as of nothing compared to its final use."

As she spoke these words the Magic card that she had indicated was shattered into nothingness.

"By destroying this card of mine, you have called forward its most devastating power; for when Soul of the Dark Serpent is sent from the field to the graveyard as a result of an opponent's effect, I am allowed to summon its true form: Accursed Serpent of the Ninth Hell!"

In that instant, Kaiba realized exactly what they were up against, and Botan as well. Both knew what card Tsubaki was speaking of; most professional duelists did, in fact, though most brushed it off as the ravings of the drunken card players who claimed to have seen this card. From what little could be determined of such ramblings, the Accursed Serpent did not even have a test run. It was so incredibly broken that a prototype was never designed, the plans and dies for the card were destroyed, and any evidence of the card's creation was erased from memory. However, many of those that theorized about the lost card were convinced that a copy had in fact been designed, and was in fact kept with Soul of the Dark Serpent as a support card.

Kaiba had never really believed in any of this. True, some cards had never been mass produced, and he knew that most of them belonged to the fruitcake in front of him. But to actually consider that Pegasus had created a card which had not even been approved for testing was absolutely ridiculous.

And yet here it was, a card that should never have seen the holographic light of day, about to be summoned in a duel which had seen its share of oddities.

From the space where Soul of the Dark Serpent had once stood now emerged a solitary black portal, about three inches wide and two feet in height, and even if one could see into the vortex it would be impossible to determine what was contained therein.

"Now here is how the card works. When it is summoned by the destruction of Soul of the Dark Serpent, I am allowed to remove every monster in the graveyard that was Special Summoned from the game, and for every such removed monster this creature gains 1000 attack points. From that, the total level of the removed monsters is multiplied by 100 and added to the total originally created. I must then select one of the monsters I've removed, and place it at the bottom of my deck. The combined attack and defense total of that monster is doubled, and added to the total. Finally, that amount is tripled, and is added to the 500 original attack of the monster!"

Kaiba did a quick calculation in his mind, and it was with horrific clarity that he realized the attack total of the monster. It was enough to send him reeling.

From the portal called forward now emerged Tsubaki's final monster, a grandiose serpent that appeared to be carven out of shadows, with no real solid mass and only two harsh green eyes to indicate that it was even a creature. On occasion he let his mouth open, and when that occurred one could almost see into the bowels of the deepest nightmares where none dared tread, but Tsubaki did not seem to fear this monster. This was a mutual emotion, for the serpent seemed to coil around her, like a child on the mother's heels.

The only difference was that the child was a dark snake from Hell with unspeakable attack strength. (139100/150)

Kaiba and Botan were both struck dumb as their minds wrapped about the horrible number, a level of attack that was only surpassed by a handful of monsters. All of Kaiba's monsters put together could not begin to equal such force.

"Well, it seems that your pathetic attempts at salvation have come to a crumbling end, you whiny little bitches, and it shall only get worse from here. Once my monster's attack has been calculated, it will then allow me to prevent any of us from activating more than two Magic or Trap cards per turn, and any other normal summons are forbidden. Also, for each turn in which a monster is not summoned, the Accursed Serpent will gain an extra 500 attack points!"

"Impressive, Tsubaki. But I'm afraid that in your case the Serpent also has a serious drawback. Remember, because of your monster's effect you cannot summon any monsters for the rest of the duel, and you can only activate one Magic card per turn."

"A small price to pay for a monster of such strength, wouldn't you say? Besides, there is no way you'll be able to defeat me."

"Oh, but I will. Actually, in reality you've allowed me to end this duel."

Tsubaki eyes now slitted in a disgusting display of arrogance.

"You mean Pegasus? By all means, attack him if you want; he no longer has any purpose."

"I'm not talking about Pegasus; although I would like to see him suffer, he has lost any power to defeat me. You, on the other hand, are not so fortunate, and as far as I'm concerned you can burn in hell where you belong. But in order for me to do that I'll need to use your own monster against you, so I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"HA! I knew that you could not defeat me! Your monsters have no power compared to mine, and once I strike you down there shall be nothing to rescue you from the damned! Accursed Serpent, destroy Kaiba's Onaga the Dragon King!" (139600/150)

At that moment, the serpent of blackest night rose from the safety of its twisted master, and carefully slithered over towards the imposing dragon emperor, gauging the situation and determining what had to be done. However, as far as the snake was able to tell Onaga did not have any hidden weaponry, and as such decided to strike. Thusly it lifted its great head and stretched open the wicked maws it held, to consume the life and soul of the Dragon King.

"Sorry, dark priestess, but I still have a face down card to use. Reveal the Trap card, Grave Spell! This lets me activate any Magic or Trap card in my graveyard, so long as I remove them both from play afterwards. And the card I have selected is Command Silencer!"

Once again the technologically advanced totem rose up and emitted its piercing yelps which prevented the beast from attacking, and at the same time giving clearance for Kaiba to draw his card.

"Curse you, Seto Kaiba! No one disgraces my beauty and gets away with it! You'll pay for your insolence with your life!"

"Pathetic narcissistic blather, nothing more. You just can't accept that I'm about to end this."

"HA! As if you could do anything to stop me! For now, I shall pass the turn to your pretty little girlfriend. Let's see if she can come through for you in the darkest hour."

Botan ignored the light jibe, and drew. (140100/150)_ It would be stupid to attack Pegasus; Tsubaki would just block for him and cause me to lose. Maybe I can use this Trap card to wipe them out…_

But as the reaper looked at her latest card, an even better plan came to mind. 

_Seto, I might just have an idea._

_Way ahead of you. Just hold on for one more turn, and I can end this._

"Fine by me, Tsubaki. I'll switch all my monsters into defense mode, place a card face down, and that'll be that." 

Pegasus, in his turn, drew the next card, and panicked as he realized that he had nothing that could be summoned without Toon World. His other cards were worthless in the situation in which he had been forced. (140600/150)

"God damn. I have to pass this turn." _Tsubaki had better not screw this up…_

And it then returned to Kaiba, who drew in spite of having the winning card in hand. (141100/150)

"It's time for me to finally end this! I activate the Magic card, Creature Swap, which lets me switch control of one monster on my side of the field, but also lets me gain control of your monster!" Even as he spoke, the demonic serpent and the ruler of wyrms shifted positions so that the stronger monster served Kaiba.

"And now it's my turn! Reveal the face down card, Balder's Negotiations, which allows me to sacrifice one Valkyrie on my side of the field so that Seto can regain control of Onaga!" 

Botan's Quick-Play activated almost as soon as Valkyrie Altest was sent from the field, whereupon the kind and friendly Norse god walked over to the disgusting dragon ruler and began whispering into his ear. Onaga, standing in quiet respect, listened for a few moments, decided that Balder was correct, and slowly trudged back to Kaiba's side of the field.

"Thanks, Botan. Now, it's time for some final retribution! Onaga and Accursed Serpent, attack Tsubaki and Pegasus directly to end this duel!"

So did the duel come to a close.

Onaga was the first to strike, once more drawing a sword from the world beyond, in this case a lengthy jade object which hummed with the souls of the dead that the ruler held dominion over, and having called this weapon he took to the skies and swept downwards, with one solid swipe slicing through Pegasus and instantly defeating him.

And finally, in a strange sort of irony, the Accursed Serpent now raised itself against the mistress who had called it forth, opening its jaws and lunging at her.

"Wait! What are you doing! STOP!"

"Sorry, dark priestess, but your time is just about up."

Her terrified yelps meant nothing to the snake, who sent a solid beam of hellfire crashing into Tsubaki's chest, thus knocking her backwards.

_No…I was to stay beautiful…_

And with that strike, the first tag team that Kaiba had been able to work with was successfully completed. (300/1200) (0/0)

Kaiba, for a moment or so, leaned back against the nearest wall to catch his breath. It had not been an easy match, to say the least, especially against two seasoned veterans such as them, but the question still remained as to why Tsubaki and Pegasus were working together in the first place. There was no love lost between them in that match, that was certain, and he was pretty sure that Pegasus had no dealings with Naraku, just with the locals of New Paradigm, seeing as he himself had been a native of the area. But that still would not explain what was going on…

After a minute of such ponderings, Kaiba decided that he may as well ask the man himself. Odds are that Tsubaki's snakes had ran off after their mistress had been vanquished, so he was likely still able to tell him what he wanted to know.

But as he attempted to move forward he was slammed backwards by a very welcome interference.

"Seto, you were incredible back there. I've never seen anyone duel like that before."

Botan's sultry whisper and the wild look of passion in her eyes as she pinned him against the wall revealed a confidence and carnal drive that he had never seen before in another woman, and it appeared that she was particularly aroused by his victory

_Note to self: good duels turn her on._

"You weren't too bad yourself, seeing as you got me out of a few rough areas..." 

Kaiba's words fell silent as the reaper crushed her lips against his, caressing his tongue and mouth ever so gently as she wrapped her arms around him. Unwittingly his hands fell to her waist and she gave out a shriek of pleasure.

"Oh God, what did I do without you?"

"I might ask the same question."

And so they continued to passionately embrace, caring little who saw them, only noticing the other one as they fell deeper into a trancelike state of sexual desire that fueled them and healed their wounds.

But both knew what had to be done, and it was with a painful sense of this knowledge that they drew themselves apart.

"So, shall we take our reward, my dear?"

"You haven't even begun to get your reward, Seto."

He expected that to be the case, even without her seductive expression as she spoke, hence the almost unnoticed skip in his step as he walked over to the fallen duelists.

As he had thought, Tsubaki was dead, likely from the shock of losing but more likely from a stroke; her true form, an ancient and sickly hag, had replaced the fairly attractive dark priestess. Pegasus, however, was still alive, and after taking his key and Tsubaki's rarest card he next picked up the flamboyant older man by the collar.

"I suggest you start talking, Pegasus, or this time I'll take your soul."

To Be Continued

Yes, I am aware that Hiei's segment was absent. But I wanted to update today.

Anyway, in our next chapter the duels of Joey and Roger finally end, as Shippo revives and speaks of what became of him. Yusuke encounters an old nemesis, Kaiba interrogates his old enemy, Hiei unveils his latest schemes as he develops a taste for wind, and Inuyasha recovers to a furious Tea. And all around there is a presence of cold times ahead. Don't miss it.

Anyway, onto original cards. Not too many new ones, actually. Spell Mirror and all of Jin's original cards belong to Time Mage, as does Grave Spell. The Accursed Serpent is mine (and yes, it is meant to be broken). Onaga (based on a character from Mortal Kombat by the same name) is Matrixfighter's. And Noir belongs to White Mage. Unless I'm mistaken, the other original cards are mine. If I made a mistake, let me know.

See ya later, then!


	43. The Black Shadow Marches Tonight!

Disclaimer: You know it already.

Alrighty, Chapter 42 ended the duels of Kagome and Kaiba, whilst bringing those of Joey and Roger to the final edge. Enzeru looked over his situation, Naraku unveiled his latest soldier, Noir, as Inuyasha proceeded to duke it out with Raphael.

In this chapter, Hiei prepares for Phase 2 of his plan, which we'll see in action later, Shippo starts talking of how he came to be in Yami no Marik's custody, Joey and Roger end their duels, as Yusuke faces up with an old nemesis. Kaiba interrogates Pegasus, while Inuyasha recovers from his second beating to find he has created a less than ideal situation for himself.

Chapter 42: The Black Shadow Marches Tonight!

Hiei's Fortress

The idiotic citizens of New Paradigm did not have a standing military, an adequate fire department, or any functional alarm system, for the basic reason that none of it was necessary, or had been since the city had risen to the sky. It was more for symbolic reasons that the fire and police stations had been erected, as a sort of quiet reminder that the city would stand behind its people.

This meant absolutely nothing to Hiei, who was very much aware that in one section of the Black Shadow Armory was enough firepower to annihilate anyone that stood against them. It was almost pathetic how poorly equipped the corrupted Paradise was to combat aggressors.

When the organization had started out, he, Schwarzvald, and Yoko Kurama had been quite aware of the need for powerful weaponry and vehicles to facilitate conquest and control of their territories, so the Black Shadow and its members were for a while focused on this armament. Seebach had been able to recover the regenerated Big Duo from the ruins of Paradigm, Yoko had spearheaded many a biological weapons production, and as more such members were obtained they too contributed to some degree or other. But it was Vera Ronstadt that could be called the true supplier, for after she had struck a deal with the Black Shadow, she personally ordered the production and delivery of a state of the art munitions stockpile to his concealed fortress. It had everything: RPG's, electromagnetic pulse grenades, tanks designed to operate like sports cars, helicopters with modifications for the artificial atmosphere of the city, cybernetic armor, and even mounted firearms which could dispense magnum loads at rates similar to assault rifles. The list went on and on, and he expected that all would be necessities.

He did not utilize any of these, but he knew that they would all be put to use in the coming days, for it was exactly as he planned.

In the deeper recesses of the armory he could hear the roar of many weapons such as the ones he was in the presence of, likely from the training facility built into the area. It was here that the weak and the strong were sorted out; those that underwent the hard core conflict and endurance training and triumphed were positioned in the appropriate guard details, and those who failed became either scientific experiments or living targets. After all, there was no point in keeping the unworthy alive if all they were going to do is eat and drink.

In an ironic twist, that sort of "survival of the fittest" mantra was exactly the reason Kazuma Kuwabara was lambasting him.

"I have told you at least a hundred times already, and yet you still insist on annoying me about the subject. Whatever your real problem is, it is quickly becoming a death wish."

"Why won't you just listen to me and accept my opinion? You've listened to the other deadheads, so why have you ignored me?"

"There is no end to the list of reasons that I would not listen to you, but in this case it would have to be that your opinions are mired in mediocrity."

"Damn it, you three-eyed shrimp, we can't trust Kagura! You know it as well as everyone else!"

"Sesshomaru seemed to like the idea well enough, and besides, she and I share more than a few common enemies. None of whom, I might add, you have been able to defeat."

"She'll just betray us once Naraku is dead! Hell, the only reason you even want her in this organization is to get her…"

Before he could continue, the hideous thug felt the tip of a katana come within inches of his throat.

"Do not even consider finishing that sentence or I swear I will cut you down. And to be honest, you have become a rather unnecessary pest, so I doubt anything would stop me, were it not for Yukina's will for you to live."

Kuwabara stared at the sword which Hiei had drawn against him, then at the demon, then his own hands. Even he could figure this equation out, and thus he held off on his attack. "You know you're making a mistake, right?"

"And _you_ know how easily I could kill you in your sleep, right?"

The thug's eyes flashed. He sputtered, desperately searching for a retort but turning up blanks, until he was finally reduced to giving Hiei the finger and flinging some indistinct obscenity at him before turning his back and tramping off to pout.

"Immature little bitch."

Turning back to the armament, the Dark Lord of New Paradigm continued his inventory, but it was with somewhat fleeting attention as he began to consider Kuwabara's viewpoint for the first time. Yes, it was true that Kagura was a powerful warrior and as brilliant a duelist as they came, with her real deck anyway. She had also been privy to Naraku's innermost operations, for he had taken her back into his service without the knowledge that she was working for Hiei. She had proven to be extraordinarily skilled in the training she had received in the Feudal Era, and rumor had it that she had taken martial arts for three months before becoming a blue belt, an unmatched and otherwise impossible record.

But there was one major problem with Hiei's employment of her, and a very simple one at that: Kagura was the single sexiest woman he had ever met.

_That quasi-sentient Cro-Magnon may be obnoxious and underdeveloped, but he did make a valid point. Although she is one of the keys to my victory, he was not too far off when he said that I wanted her in the Black Shadow to get her into bed. _

He could never explain why she attracted him as she did, whether it was her ruby eyes, her somewhat warped grin, that indefinable air of old-world grace and charm, or the curvaceous form that was concealed for so very long in the trappings of a more conservative era. What he knew for certain was that somehow she had obtained his attention.But he also knew that she would not succumb to him as Serenity Wheeler and the others had. She could not be hypnotized or enticed, and like himself any thoughts of a serious relationship were always discarded. All too often he had been made aware of her sexual unavailability, for reasons of self control that basically stemmed from the element which she had mastered.

_I am the wind, Lord Hiei. Someday, by your help or by my own hand, I will be free. And I can assure that you will die if you try to stand between me and that freedom. _

To be blunt, Hiei wanted her, if only for pleasure and power. He was beyond love after Mukuro died, and had since tried to fill that void with various women, but he had never been able to find one of substance that would serve his purposes beyond one night stands. She fit that bill perfectly, and one way or another he would possess her. It was only a matter of time like anything else.

Unfortunately, there was no time to consider seducing the wind sorceress at that moment, for he now had a war to wage, one that had been in the works for close to five months of sleepless nights and harrowing conflicts.

He had seen the army mustered himself over the time in which he had been operating the Spirit World, an army that encompassed the entirety of those that stood by his side, from humans, demons, the few Dark Mages that had not fled his alliance, and the Inner Circle of unimaginably powerful warlords that answered only to him. All was coming together as scheduled, and nothing had gone wrong yet. The soldiers were finally ready for war, and if what Schwarzvald had told him recently about his discovery in the underground was true, then it would all continue to function perfectly. He had seen enough of the technology held by the Black Shadow to know what would happen.

It was almost time to bring the first component of the Hellfire Tournament to a close, and soon enough, it would be time to bring the city to its knees, for before the Pharaoh and his pathetic friends could lift their eyes to the blazing stars…

…the War for New Paradigm would begin.

Roger vs. Espa Roba

"You can't beat my telepathic powers, especially now that I have four monsters on the field with unstoppable attack force and a Field Magic card which gives them an unstoppable advantage. Looks like you're cornered, so I'll end my turn."

In spite of how obnoxious the psychic duelist was, he did indeed have control of the field in almost every sense, and Roger had no way to counterattack with any of his monsters or Magic cards. Not yet, anyway.

"My move!" _Hm. Let's see what this can do. _"I'll place a monster in defense mode, and that will end my turn."

"HA! There's not much else you can do! I draw!" _About time I drew this. Let's see if the Negotiator can handle it. _"I activate the Magic card, Painful Choice, which allows me to select 5 cards from my deck and show them to you. Out of these cards, you must select one of them, which will be added to my hand, while the rest go straight to the graveyard."

Roger was somewhat surprised that Espa Roba would take such a risk as that. He knew only a select few duelists that used the card, and it did not fit the strategy that the "psychic" was using. But then again, perhaps it was useful for a strategy that he could not yet see.

"Let's see what you picked."

Strangely, Espa Roba had picked five Magic cards, one of which was absolutely useless in the situation anyway. _What could he be planning with it?_

"Alright, I'll send H-Heat Heart, E-Emergency Call, R-Right Justice, and O-Over Soul to the cemetery, and you can keep the Feather Shots card."

But as he watched Roba slide each Magic card into the grave, Roger noticed an unsettling grin spread across his face. For whatever reason, he had wanted those cards destroyed.

"Thank you very much, Roger Smith. By sending H-Heat Heart, E-Emergency Call, R-Right Justice, and O-Over Soul to the graveyard, you have given me the cost required to activate the Magic card I placed face down in my last turn, HERO Flash! Now, at the cost of removing those four powerful Magic cards from play, I am allowed to Special Summon any E-Hero from my deck. And that's not the only effect; during this turn, all Elemental Heroes on my side of the field can attack you directly! But first thing's first: I summon my E-Hero Sageman using the effect of HERO Flash!"

Espa Roba's next warrior of twisted justice was easily the oldest of the heroes, more than likely their founder. Standing at his full height of about six feet, he was draped in silver and crystal robes and held a lengthy staff that seemed to be a fusion of silk and ethereal light. However, in spite of the pure white locks that hung down to his feet, he seemed to be almost immortal. (0/2400)

"Now, since you've been too dense to figure out the effects of my other E-Heroes so far, I may as well save you the hassle. You see, although Sageman has no attack strength, he serves as the mentor and guardian of those who carry his former duties, increasing the attacks of all my other E-Heroes by 500 points." The Sageman, in his turn, began to hum absentmindedly, a veiled method through which to subliminally pass his knowledge to the other heroes. (5100/2000) (2900/1500) (3300/2800) (3100/1900) "My monster's next effect is much more interesting. It allows me to equip each of my fused E-Heroes with an Equip card that correlates to one of the Fusion Material monsters used to summon it, regardless of the monster or the number of Magic cards on the field, and the cards in question will not count towards my Magic and Trap card zone so long as Skyscraper is in play. So in this case, I shall equip E-Hero Tempester with Bubble Shot, E-Hero Jaggyman with Cyclone Boomerang, E-Hero Thunder Giant with Clay Wrap, and E-Hero Shining Flare Wingman with Spark Gun!"

Sageman, in a second move to empower his successors, called forward from an unknown source armaments for the Heroes. The massive Tempester was armed with a heavy duty water cannon which seemed to be built like a bazooka, (4100/2800), while the savage was equipped with an oversized Aborigine boomerang that was almost the same size as the Hiraikotsu. (3600/1900) As for the titan of the storm, a second, much heavier sheet of clay began to curl around him, whilst the divine hero took up a heavy electrical firearm.

"This is the end for you, I'm afraid. It looks like in the end you're nothing more than a negotiator."

"Funny. I remember someone saying that to me seven years ago. And like that person, you've forgotten one thing: the fact that I am, and always will be, more than just a negotiator. At the end of the day, at least I can look into a mirror and see that I am Roger Smith. As long as I can hold onto that I can't be beaten by a man without that sense of identity."

"You're worse than Joey Wheeler and his Heart of the Cards garbage! But unlike Wheeler you won't beat me! Now, before I attack, I shall confer with the powers of the other worlds, so as to see what you have in store for me!"

But then again, thought Roba, there was nothing that he could do anyway. Had there been any threat his brothers would have alerted him, and Sageman wasn't done yet with his tricks.

"Well, anything?"

"No real threats as far as Magic and Trap cards are concerned. You're cleared for attack, bro."

"Good. Let's finish this."

On the sidelines, Angel had been watching Espa Roba very carefully, and honestly did not buy into his whole psychic act. She knew that psychics were in general frauds, and any number of things could explain what was going on here. Still, he did have unparalleled field advantage, and it looked like it was about to all come crashing down on Roger.

"And now, my slick-haired rival, it's time to end the duel once and for all! E-Hero Tempester, E-Hero Thunder Giant, E-Hero Jaggyman, and E-Hero Shining Flare Wingman, attack his life points directly and end this duel!"

Simultaneously, the four strongest Elemental Heroes sent forth their attacks, Tempester creating a solid gust of wind, Jaggyman hurling his great boomerang, the Thunder Giant forming a sphere of lightning and smashing it between his fists to send a hundred bolts forward, and Shining Flare Wingman sending a spear of light towards Roger while firing several rounds with the Spark Gun.

But from the look on the negotiator's face, this was an expected and desired assault.

"Reveal face down card, Two-Pronged Attack! This Trap card allows me to destroy two of my own monsters, along with one of yours, so I'll eliminate my face down monsters to destroy your Sageman!"

As he said this, the two facedown monsters were immediately destroyed of their own accord, but from the looks of things that was not to be Sageman's fate.

"An interesting gambit, but a wasted one. Because Sageman has been targeted by a Trap effect, that effect is switched to one of my other monsters. In this case, I'll switch the effect to my Tempester, and then discard one card from my hand to prevent him from being destroyed!"

The blast from the destruction of Roger's monsters, just as it was about to strike the elder, was intercepted by the lesser warrior of the skies, who in his turn forced it away with a gust of his wings. "HA! I knew you couldn't stop me!"

"Sorry, Espa, but I'm afraid I just did."

Each attack, all within mere feet of Roger, was instantly knocked away by an electrical jolt which came from an unknown source.

"There's a reason that I activated Two-Pronged Attack just now, a reason that your telepathy clearly overlooked. You see, one of the monsters I destroyed is a creature known as Lightning Turtle, and if I so choose I can remove it from play to trigger the electromagnets it left behind and end your battle phase."  
"DAMN IT!"

"Well, I think that just about wraps that up, doesn't it?"

"I'm not through yet, Roger Smith, not by a long shot! Remember, my E-Heroes still control the field, and you still have my Equip cards to contend with! So I activate the effect of Spark Gun, which will allow me to switch Sageman into defense mode!"

The aged warrior, instead of crumbling to the electrocution of the Spark Gun, decided to kneel of his own volition, creating a silver barrier around himself in the process.

"I'll end my turn, but I hope you understand that your little ploy cost you two monsters. I still have all of my own creatures, and any attempt to destroy my Equip cards will only bring you down. Let's see if you can squirm out of this."

"I think I'm just about to. My move."

The situation, as unfortunate as it had been, suddenly took a turn for the better as Roger saw what might prove to be the key to his victory.

"I activate the Magic card, Crisis Synthesis, which can only be activated if it is the only card I have in my hand and I have no monsters. It allows me to remove all of my Machine monsters in my graveyard from play, and then select five cards from my deck and add them to my hand. However, at the end of my turn I must destroy any monsters summoned during that turn."

"As if that matters! Remember, no matter how powerful your next monster may be, my Skyscraper will only make my monsters stronger!"

"That won't matter. I activate a second Magic card, Dimension Fusion! In exchange for 2000 life points, I can special summon as many monsters as possible that have been removed from play, so I think that X-Head Cannon, Mechanicalchaser, Eight-Legged Terror, Y-Dragon Head, and Lightning Turtle!"

In horror Espa Roba and his brothers watched as a massive rift between dimensions tore open by some scientific anomaly, spewing forth Roger's artillery soldier, his cyber-hunter, the multi-appendaged mecha nightmare, and the two monsters he had sent to the graveyard last turn, a smallish red aerial assault weapon which was fashioned like a dragon, (1500/1600), and a squat robotic turtle with what appeared to be a polarity symbol on his chest. (0/1800) (Roger:400/Espa Roba: 2400)

"You must be getting desperate! With that level of power, my Shining Flare Wingman will eliminate you in no time."

"If you really are psychic, then you should know that what I have in my hand will put an end to Wingman, but I'll get to that later. First off, I'll fuse Y-Dragon Head and X-Head Cannon together to form XY-Dragon Cannon!"

The first Fusion Roger had played in the duel, and likely the last, was substantially different from the multiple ones created by Espa Roba. Unlike said combination monsters, the XY-Dragon Cannon did not necessitate the magic of Polymerization, for that particular set of monsters had such a power built into their programming. And thus did X-Head Cannon's flotation device begin to rotate at almost unimaginable speeds, generating a sort of static electrical field. At the same time, a hidden panel on the back of the Y-Dragon Head slid open to unveil a universal magnetic link matrix, designed to connect computer systems together via magnetic fields. Once both automatons had activated their network links, the X-Head positioned himself over the matrix and channeled the static electricity into direct energy, thus drawing him into the compartment.

And when the fusion was complete, a new machine, with new programming, was formed. (2200/1900)

"This city of yours isn't real, Espa Roba. You and I both know that it's just a fantasy, a memory brought back to us by Industrial Illusions, so now it's time to face reality! I activate the effect of XY-Dragon Cannon, discarding one card from my hand to destroy one face-up Magic or Trap card on your side of the field, and I'm going to eradicate Skyscraper!"

Upon discarding, the flying tank soldier took to the skies, sailing forward through the buildings and desperate heroes with one "thought" installed in its programming: destroy the city.

"Why are you doing this? Can't you see the hypocrisy that you represent at this moment by attacking my Magic card? You claim to be the champion of Paradigm, and here you are demolishing that very city!"

Roger, at this, gained a look of almost smug knowledge.

"That's where you're wrong. This isn't real, and I'm referring to more than the holographic nature of the arena. This city may be cleaner, it may have better technology, but it isn't Paradigm. Those people down there aren't the people I defended, and I won't be tricked into believing that this brainwashed empire of Vera's is Paradise!"

Even as he spoke, Roger's monster let fly the shells of war, raining fire and death upon the city. The blasts leveled the metropolis, as skyscrapers dissolved and city blocks were leveled. As can be expected, gas mains burst into an inferno which spread with unparalleled haste across the streets, resulting in horrified shrieks as humans were sent to the bowels of Hell or the kingdom of Heaven.

And when the dust cleared, the city was in ruins. Fire rampaged over the now crumbling buildings, as those that had somehow survived drew themselves from beneath slabs of concrete, with shattered arms and horribly scarred faces. At the same time, the E-Heroes had started to circle above the demolished city like carrion birds, seeking out those that could be saved.

The reek of death was present everywhere, and Roger was reminded horribly of Schwarzvald and his fanaticism. He hoped that it would not come down to this in the real world; he could not handle another doomsday.

"You're done. Without the Skyscraper Magic card, your E-Heroes can no longer obtain the power boost that has kept them alive for so long. Now, for part two of my plan. I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast, in attack mode, and I'll use his special effect to halve his original attack and defense and summon him without tribute!"

What was to be Roger's last attempt at salvation was, quite simply, a tank dragon, with a lengthy mechanical neck upon which sat a head with cannon attachments. Where the claws would be were instead a pair of heavy Gatling-style guns, and the tail functioned as a drill. (1400/1000)

"What could that thing possibly do to me?"

"You're about to see first hand. For my next move, I'll activate the Megamorph Equip card, which shall double my monster's original attack if my life points are lower than yours. Of course, I am referring to the attack he had before his effect activated, so his total attack strength shall become 5600!"

The second part of Roger's strategy manifested itself as an ancient Druid seal which fused with Fusilier's mechanics, increasing its efficiency and power. (5600/1000)

"Sorry, negotiator, but it still won't be enough to defeat me!"

"You really should start paying attention; I never finished my move, and there's one card left for me to play. I activate Limiter Removal!"

At that moment, with the activation of the final card, everyone present knew that the end had arrived. Even Dorothy, who had always thought that Roger's dueling skills were something of a joke, had to admit that it had been a brilliantly executed finishing move, given the circumstances of Espa Roba's field.

But Angel knew better. She knew that as powerful a move this was, it would not hold against Hiei.

"No! This isn't happening!" _Those little fuckers! How could they screw up like this after all I've done for them?_

Of course, the machines were not at all aware of the various emotions and complaints that went on around them. All that was of any significance to their artificial intelligence was the fact that their power levels had shot through the roof, a fact indicated by their suddenly jerky movements and increasingly erratic motions. (4400/1900) (3000/1200) (11200/1000)

"You see, Espa Roba, I don't have to stand behind a bunch of superheroes to defend this city. I've had that capacity for years, because I choose to hold it. But you didn't have that, which is why I am about to triumph."

"ENOUGH WITH YOUR SELF-REFLECTIVE BULLSHIT! IF YOU'RE GONNA FINISH ME, JUST DO IT, AND DON'T BORE ME OUT OF MY MIND!"

"You asked for it, and now it's time to deliver it! Fusilier, attack and destroy his Shining Flare Wingman!"

With this command in mind, the infamous war machine leveled his head to the skies, scanning the scorched heavens for his last target using a combination of heat sensors that singled out organics and an adapted form of Geiger counter which detected the radiation emitted by heroes. It was an ingenious system, one that was about to undo all the cheating and planning by Espa Roba in one grand display of fireworks.

After a moment of this, Fusilier picked up what he had been looking for in the broken remnants of City Hall, and locked onto the Wingman's heat signature with his mounted cannons. The other heroes took note of this, and desperately crowded around him, perhaps attempting to guard their leader with their own lives. But all knew what was to become of him. Their power boost shot, their city turned into a smoking crater, and their very existence on a downhill slope, each one had a similar look of dejection and unwilling acceptance on their respective faces.

All save Wingman.

Out of all the Elemental Heroes, he alone seemed to hold an intangible relaxation as his death loomed before him. In fact, it was almost as though he had wanted it to happen this way. He had accepted his destiny, and did not even blink when the cannons roared into life.

The impact was swift and brutal, and when the flash of light cleared, all that was left of Wingman and the other E-Heroes was a black smudge upon the ruins. (Roger:400/Espa Roba:0)

There was nothing more to say at that moment, but then, what could be said to a cheater anyway? Besides, from the looks of things that selfsame fraud had more than enough to talk about.

_How could I lose AGAIN! It doesn't make any sense; I had him cornered like a dog! One more attack would have finished him off, so how could he possibly have drawn that card just when he needed it? It just doesn't add up! _

It never did add up for him, though, not since his earliest memories in the moth-eaten tent that served as his home as they moved about with the wandering circus to which the family had owed debt for years. Life continued to vex him, as he had been forced to watch his parents die in a horrific trapeze accident, leaving no legacy save five orphans, horrible memories, and a box of cards. Even when the circus folded life was not kind to them, and neither were the children they encountered.

But after all this time, after wandering the world with a set of siblings to whom he played father and mother, and after shattering the promise he had made to Joey, would he lose the only shot he had at happiness to an outdated skirt chaser?

Would he strip away the last of my dignity…FOR GODDAMN MEMORIES!

"You remember our deal, don't you? I defeated you in a duel, so hand over your card, key, and the memories. After all, what good is a negotiation unless both parties respect the demands of the other."

"You're joking, right? I could have demolished you completely had my psychic prowess not given out on me. Deal's off, pretty boy."

"I suggest you reconsider…"

"NO WAY! I'M SO FUCKING SICK OF DEALING WITH CLOWNS LIKE YOU ON A DAILY BASIS, TRYING TO HORN IN ON MY ONE SHOT AT TRIUMPH! I SHOULD HAVE WON THIS DUEL, AND YOU KNOW IT, SO IF YOU WANT THESE MEMORIES YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO RIP THEM OUT OF MY COLD DEAD FINGERS!"

With this, the circus freak turned tail and made a beeline for the staircase, eyes wild with hatred as he shoved his way past the middleman and the living memory towards freedom.

This was it, he thought to himself, just get to the door and you're home free…

It was at this point that a slender mechanical leg snapped outwards, catching Espa Roba in the chest and almost crushing his lungs in the process.

No one said anything for a minute, as Angel and Roger looked at Dorothy with a level of shock not seen in seven years, not since the first and final arrival of Big Venus in the heart of the city, or what had been left of it.

"This duelist does not have any memories, at least none that we can use."

Espa Roba, eyes wide in panic, attempted to lift himself up, but the fact that his ribcage was in shambles, combined with the new presence of Angel's heel pinning him down, prevented any such action on his part.

"Let me go now! You have no idea what you're doing!"  
"I like to think we do; it's you who has no idea." As she said this, Angel reached down to extract something from the psychic's left ear, what looked like a miniature headset. "Now, start talking."

"I told you no! Even if you threatened to blow my brains out it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference! You think I'm scared of death? Once the Union finds out I've been beaten they'll do things to me that are ten times worse!"

"The Union? What do they have to do with this?"

"You don't know? Oh, that's right, I forgot that you fled from us, Agent 340."

Angel's eyes now bugged out of her head as she realized in full horror that Espa Roba was one of their agents.

"Hard to believe, isn't it? It almost makes you wonder how I became part of the Union, but I think at this point the matter is irrelevant. What is important is that I've been monitering the both of you for some time; since after Battle City, I think…"

The smack of palm against cheek was quick, but effective, and the charlatan decided to let the ex-agent speak.

"Ok, what's going on here? If you were sent to kill us you would have done so by now, so you obviously had a good reason to simply duel."

"It's true. I was sent here to duel and knock Roger out of the tournament so that we could intercept him on the way to the exit craft. My brothers and I would get paid handsomely and we'd get a rent free apartment in the city. But you don't know the half of what's happening here. You have no grasp of what's being planned on both sides, or what Vera and Hiei have in store for this city; I myself am just one of the grunts, and even I know this thing's gonna be huge."

Roger, a man of suave self-control and cool demeanor, suddenly felt his blood run cold as ice. The Hellfire Tournament had been the single greatest competition of duelists the world had ever known, and it had concealed an even greater conspiracy to take the world by storm. Was it possible that the Tournament had only been the opening act, a prelude to an even larger and more intricate design that was yet to come?

He needed answers, and he needed them immediately.

"Alright, Espa, here's the deal. I can provide some defense for you through my old contacts in the Military Police, but in exchange you need to give us all the information you can on the Union's next move."

Espa Roba now gained a look of unerring incredulity as he rolled his eyes back.

"Ok, first of all, the Union _controls _the Military Police, so what contacts you had are now more than likely dead. Then we have the fact that it's simply too late to stop what they have in mind."

It was at this point that Angel lost the last shred of patience she had been able to hold onto.

"I think you're having some problems deciding whether or not to tell us what Agent 12 and the others have planned, so perhaps I should make the decision easier on you. You see, I spent my life in the Union, and I just so happen to have learned quite a few of their more interesting tricks along the way. Now, either you tell us what the Union has planned, or I refresh those talents with you as my target. Any objections now?"

Left with two options of torture with only one providing a slim chance at survival, there was no doubt in Espa Roba's mind as to his decision.

"Fine. You want to know everything? Well, rumor has it that Hiei and Vera have something massive in store for the coming days, and I mean massive. I can't even begin to describe it, but I do know this: sometime soon Jagenshi will launch his next strike, and what could possibly be the last one. He's pulling out all the stops, letting it all loose in one massive blitz. You want more data, then I'm not your man."

But he had said enough, and as Angel looked fearfully at Roger and Dorothy, all knew what that meant.

New Paradigm was going to be a warzone.

Yami's Hotel Room

There's a strange sort of purity to the blood stained couch and the crumbling stucco walls, thought Yami as he stared absently at the living room ceiling, eyes half-closed from exhaustion. But then, with the defeat of both Kachikachi and Yami no Marik, there was little else that could be detected.

With the notable exception of the harsh sting of antiseptic that drew a wince from the man that had endured the pain of Hell itself without so much as a blink.

"It's alright, this will only last a minute."

With only those words the pain was dissipated, or perhaps it was the fact that Kagome was the one applying the medication with her warm and practiced touch, the touch of a natural-born healer. She was truly Kikyo incarnate, though Yami was now loathe to think of it in such terms. Although the two did share a common soul, they were indeed two separate entities, beings that encompassed a set of parallel yet independent spirits, and this would always be the case. Still, the subtle presence of the jewel's guardian had been consistently apparent in every motion Kagome took. The most notable point of this was that she had taken it upon herself to serve as something of a brace for Yami, who had still been too weak to walk on his own, while still cradling the strange fox demon whom she referred to as Shippo. It had been truly a sight to behold, but it also had its sort of tenderness that was all too lacking in the depths of nightmare in which they had been deposited.

Somehow he managed to clear the muddled thoughts of his mind, and lifted his bleary orbs to the young miko's. Still focused on repairing the damage inflicted by the deranged swordsman, Kagome did not notice for a moment or so, at least until she made a motion to check the Pharaoh's temperature.

"Yami, are you feeling alright? You look sick."

He looked and felt the part, actually, from what she saw in his eyes. It was obvious that something had happened, likely to Kikyo, and she also had an idea what.

_I never really understood up till now what we were up against, the kind of sociopath that Hiei is. I mean, I knew he was evil; anyone could see that. But I never could see exactly how evil he was… _

It went without saying that Kagome didn't like Kikyo. In fact, were it not for the fact that Kikyo had been a saint in life, she would doubtlessly hate her with every fiber of her being. But she had to admit that even as a member of the undead she had been one of the kindest beings to walk the earth.

And even without asking she knew…that Kikyo was dead, murdered at the hands of the Demon God.

"There. All better."

With a single knot the makeshift bandaging was completed; luckily the wound was not serious given the situation, but he would still need to take it easy for a while.

"Thank you, Kagome. I owe you one."

"Shhh. Don't talk right now, just get some sleep."

"Relax, I'm in well enough condition to speak. It's dueling that will be a problem."

"I think you've dueled enough for one day, sweetie."

The sentiment was doubtlessly mutual; through two of his duels Yami had been pitted against the sadist puppet of a second demon lord, as well as an unwelcome encounter with the Seal of Orichalcos and an ancient samurai who had plagued him in Egypt. But that still left some questions unanswered, such as how or even why Kachikachi and Sesshomaru were in allegiance, and also how the demon had known of Kagura's demise. Then there was the wind demon herself; something had not added up during that match, for somehow he could sense that she was lying. Deep beneath her cold veneer there was a seething mass of raw hatred, a wild animal that had no sense of loyalty, and the man she called her brother was clearly not Naraku. And finally, there was the reemergence of Yami no Marik, which was not really so surprising in itself, judging from his capacities of Shadow magic in Battle City. No, it was what he had said during that duel, about a Shadow Game that even the resurrection of Atem's memories could not recall.

_A second Shadow Game took place, before the events of the one I remember? How is this possible, and more importantly, what memory could be so dangerous to me that I would seal it off completely? _

His ponderings resulted in a sort of distance set within his eyes, one that had often worried Yugi and others around him, and one that made Kagome worry as well. She had only seen this look once, before that damnable event that she hoped would never happen again. It was strange, almost surreal, to see him out of focus like this.

"You're thinking about what the spirit said, aren't you?"

"Something to that effect. It still doesn't make any sense; why would I lock away a part of my memory so that I couldn't remember a second war of shadow?"

"Relax and don't think about it right now. We'll figure it out later, I promise, but right now you just need to rest and regain your strength."

Her soft hand now moved upwards, caressing Atem's forehead slightly so as to sooth his frayed nerves. He would be alright, if he could only allow himself the peace he so rightly deserved. Perhaps she could be the one to grant him that peace, but in order to do that the two would need to topple some of the most powerful demons in existence-a task not easily performed in the best of circumstances-and their situation was hardly ideal. So then what was to be done?

Neither could be sure at that moment, but what was known was this: they were reunited, and no force on Earth could ever break that connection. It was indeed a love that transcended existence itself, and even the reverberations of time and reincarnation for the next five thousand years would not shatter it.

It was at this point, as Kagome held the Pharaoh's hand to her heart, that she saw the world that should be, and yet was not by the hands of selfish bastards like Hiei and Naraku. She saw a world of love and peace, where all could be settled without a drop of blood being spilled. She saw Yami, sound asleep beneath the cool shade of an oak, with herself lying happily in his arms. That was all they needed; no, it was all she wanted, and her heart cried out for that world where shadows and chaos didn't exist. There were no dark jewels or darker magic to be found, just the two of them, holding each other…

The droplets fell again, as a pain she never knew could exist crashed into her heart.

_It just isn't fair. He shouldn't have to suffer like this, not after what he's been through. So many people have died_ _and suffered, and for what? Some grandiose design for power in a time when that's a clearly outdated idea? _

Yami didn't deserve any of it, any of the nightmares of human creation that lunatics and homicidal tyrants formed. He was just too…too good for it. So then why was he the target of such horror? The Puzzle played into it, but still, it did not explain how life had always dealt him the worst it could offer. Had the gods really been so vindictive as to curse this undeserving monarch with the burden of Hell, and if so, why?

She almost did not notice herself speak to him.

"I'll save you, Yami. I'll save you from everything."

He said nothing, but she felt his hand tighten around hers, and she knew he felt the same. They would save each other, from themselves…

Of course, this would all be very confusing to anyone who entered at that moment, especially to a rather immature fox demon who still did not grasp the complexities of love and life.

"Save him from what? I don't see anything here…"

Yami and Kagome both looked at the source of the voice, but only one recognized it.

"Shippo! You're finally awake!"

Old relationships have never been quick to die, in the Feudal Era or in these modern times, and so it was no great surprise that Shippo hurled himself betwixt the two young lovers and into Kagome's arms, unable to maintain any semblance of control that he had left.

"Oh Kagome, I missed you so much! I thought I'd never see you again!"

"It's ok. I'm here right now, aren't I? Last time I checked I've never let anything happen to you before."

It had been too long for the both of them; after all, Kagome had been gone from his life for over a year, and in the wake of the nightmarish tragedies it was good to finally see a familiar face.

Of course, this relationship was completely lost on Yami, who could do little but simply stare at the two of them and ask for some kind of explanation.

"I don't believe we've met before, young one."

"Oh, that's right, I completely forgot. Yami, this is Shippo. He's the fox demon I told you about. Shippo, this sweetheart over here is Yami."

Shippo looked at Yami, then at Kagome, then at the linked hands over her chest, and finally at the sparkle in both of their eyes. He had matured ever so slightly in the past year, but enough so as to figure out what was going on; thereby, he was in a position to ask a serious and well-thought out query. Such a question, obviously, was not forthcoming, but what he did ask was quite relevant anyway.

"He's not gonna hit me, is he?"

"I highly doubt that. He's not Inuyasha."

"Indeed. His eyes look different."

Yami, in well enough condition by this point to sit up, did just that, so that Kagome could get more comfortable on the sofa. She'd done more than enough for him that day, after all. Besides, he was vaguely curious of Shippo and his involvement with Yami no Marik; something told him that the demon knew what was going on.

"Anyway, what's the deal with you and Yami? I thought you liked Inuyasha."

"I did, or at least that's what I thought. I don't know, I guess it just…happened. Yami saved my life from some lunatic of Hiei's, and I've been with him ever since."

At this, the Pharaoh's mouth twitched upwards.

"Well, as long as he's civil to me, he's ok in my…what's that around your neck?"

Shippo's entire mannerism changed as he spied the Sennen Puzzle. It was almost as though he had seen it before, or something like it. However, this was far more than a passing familiarity, Yami could sense it.

The demon examined it for a moment, sniffing every corner, detecting nothing but the dull whiff of gold and the flawless texture of the metal, along with the aura of Shadow Magic that came from deep within the Puzzle.

"Shippo, what are you doing?"

"I saw this thing once; the guys who kidnapped me were talking about it, and they started passing pictures of it around before one of them took me away."

Once again Atem felt a deep cold edge up his back, for reasons that beyond the obvious could not be discerned. "Who are you talking about?"

"After Kagome left, Inuyasha and the rest of us broke up and went different ways. Sango went north into the mountains to find her brother, Miroku followed a lead about a mage who could help him with his curse, Inuyasha stayed with the village, and so did I. We lost track of everyone we'd encountered, and life became pretty much pointless until Inuyasha followed that fire from the well. When he didn't come back I tried to find him, but when I got there Kagome's home was levelled. I looked around for at least a week…until two people snuck up and caught me. Whoever they were, they held me at their castle until last week. They let me free for some reason, and that's when the spirit found me. He did some kind of magic and knocked me out."

"How awful! Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine, but you two should be worried. They kept talking about you and Inuyasha, and a few others, and taking our souls to feed some kind of beast-thingy…"

Kagome looked sympathetically at her old traveling companion, fully able to appreciate the nightmare he had endured. She too had been captured by a lunatic with a God complex, and she was fairly certain that Yami and his friends were going through the same ordeal. It sort of played itself out like a Greek tragedy, as one horror was followed by an even greater one in a cycle of torment.

Yami, however, did not notice the parallels, for with Shippo's words a chill sweat found itself upon his brow; it was as though he had seen Death, or the stereotypical Death anyway.

_Souls? The beast? No, he couldn't possibly mean…_

"Shippo, these men that kidnapped you; what exactly did they look like? Can you give me a description?"

"Yami, he's had enough to endure. I don't think that he needs this right now."

"Don't worry about it; I'd be happy to tell you what they look like if it'll help. In fact, I'll do you one better."

"Are you sure about that, Shippo? Maybe you shouldn't use that right now."

"It's fine. Besides, I want to see those jerks go down just as much as you do."

At this, the demon generated an orb of some sort of flame in his left and right hands, and whispered something indistinct to them. Both flickered and slightly changed color, which Shippo took as a sign of preparedness to begin his sorcery.

Yami was vaguely familiar with the sort of power that the fox demon was using. Granted, when he had last seen such a power it was known as the Blaze of Mirage and the human that used it had gone insane, but in this case he doubted that would happen; demons generally had a stronger control over magic than humans did.

"FOXFIRE!"

_I suppose there are worse names… _

The orbs, in one swift motion, were cast to the rug, amazingly leaving no trace of singe as they careened wildly in a controlled radius. Like deranged acrobatics the spheres shot about, creating their own sort of meandering art form until such time as both collided simultaneously with Shippo's head with a snap of smoke.

And what the smoke left behind made the Pharaoh's mind lock up, for the man whose image Shippo had taken upon was a towering warrior, a hulking mass of sinew and hatred that he had never expected to see again.

It was none other than Raphael.

"Shippo…are you sure that…this man was the one that captured you?"

With a snap of the fingers, the demon reverted to his much shorter manifestation and landed directly into Kagome's lap. "I'm sure of it. He and two others, but I didn't really see them too well…"

The fox continued talking, but Atem no longer listened. His mind was almost completely shell shocked as he desperately struggled to grasp what he had just learned. It was almost too much, and he dared not believe it.

Somehow Raphael had succumbed to the darkness again, which meant that the Atlantean Dartz had as well.

It should have been clear to him from the start that this would happen. Somehow it should have added up that Dartz had not been under any spell that would be so easily broken, and that eventually his internal chaos would cause him to regress into the hands of the Seal. Besides, one such as he would not surrender his conviction or his god because of one failure.

They had all been overconfident, believing Dartz to be either dead or at peace with the world, and now they were all about to pay for it. He had been a powerful enemy even in an unofficial duel, and in a tournament he would be even more dangerous. And there was the very serious problem that arose with Raphael himself, whose powers had no doubt risen severely since their last match…

Somehow Yami managed to focus. He would deal with the DOOM Soldiers and their deranged leader when the time came to do so, and with any luck he would topple them again.

The Pharaoh was able to return himself to reality in time to here the demon begin a second topic. "Anyway, that's not the only problem. As it happens I heard something about that Hiei guy, and he's been dealing with a few less than friendly people."

"That's a bit of an understatement. He's got at least three of the deadliest warriors on earth at his disposal, and odds are he has some very powerful connections with the local governments."

"Well, I wouldn't be too worried about Hiei's grunts right now, seeing as he hired some of the most powerful mercenaries in the world, and they're not bad duelists either. In fact, Kagome, that reminds me. We've got a serious problem on our hands. Turns out that he's sending his best soldiers after us and a few others, from what I heard."

Yami was interested by this point. What else could he send to find them after Kachikachi and Yami no Bakura?

"Well, we can take them on. Yami and I haven't been beaten yet; who could they possibly send after us?"

She would regret saying that later, for in that instant there was a sharp rap on the door, along with a cold and clearly cruel voice.

"Come on out, Pharaoh. We won't hurt you…much."

This was soon followed, by a whiny and much more feminine speaker.

"Aw, come on! Why do you get to face him? I haven't dueled anyone all day! Besides, what if he's cute?"

The first speaker took on an edge of malice.

"What happened to Inuyasha?"

"It's not like we're married or anything! Why do I have to be a one-man man!"

"Just shut up and let me handle this, Jakotsu. You can have the scraps when I'm finished."

"Damn it, Renkotsu, you always do this! If big brother were here…"

"Then he would agree with me, wouldn't he?"

Yami, having never met these men before, stood for combat, Duel Gauntlet at the ready. Luckily his wound had healed enough for him to do so, but it still provided a sharp twinge.

"If you wish to face me, then at least have the courage to do so head on!"

But before he could finish Kagome leapt out of her seat and covered his mouth.

"Yami, what are you doing! You said you wouldn't duel anymore today! And besides, in your condition you can't face them!"

"He's right! You have no idea what you're up against!"

Atem really didn't, but he removed her hand anyway.

"You mean you know who they are?"

"Yes. I've met them before, and if they're as powerful in dueling as they are in combat, then this isn't the time to face them."

The whiny voice perked up again. "Let us in already! This hallway smells like mold!"

"Believe me, Pharaoh, we don't need your permission to enter. I could simply burn the door down and everything inside that room, but I'm being gracious and giving you a chance to spare the girl's life. Of course, when I'm finished Jakotsu will be more than happy to kill her off, but better a swift death than a long and painful one."

Yami did not know what to do. Kagome was correct-he was in no condition to duel-but what choice did he have?

As for Kagome herself, her heart had grown cold in terror and fear. She had almost lost him to Kachikachi and his sword, and she didn't want to risk losing him again, especially to the murderers beyond the door.

But then again, if anyone could face the Band of Seven, it was Yami no Yuugi.

"Are you sure you can do this, Yami?"

"I'm sure."

"Ok. Take them down."

But clearly the two had gotten impatient, for with one swipe of a blade the door was broken apart.

"Now, where were we?"

Joey vs. Jin

"Wha…what didja say?"

"You heard me, Jin! You may've been able to take down a bunch of monsters, but there's no way you're gonna stop this next move! Helmos, let's show the wind master what real power is!"

Reborn from its incarceration was the third and final Legendary Dragon of the Beasts, apparently the most primal of the wyverns, bearing some resemblance to the dinosaurs of primordial Earth. However, the look of worldliness in its yellow eyes and the fact that it had a set of massive wings hinted at its true heritage. With crimson scales that had seen the greatest of wars and a single horn jutting out of his head, Helmos was by far the most powerful creature Jin had ever seen…and he had fought the champion of the Dark Tournament.

However, a semblance of power did not immediately mean that it was so.

"Pretty good, lad, but from what I'm seein' your dragon's all talk an' no substance, so I've no reason to be put all afritter."

"Then you clearly don't know what my card does, do ya? Well, I guess it's time to demonstrate! Helmos, fuse with Insect Queen and let's make an Equip card!"

To be perfectly honest, Joey hadn't the slightest idea what his latest Helmos equip would produce, given as this had always been the case with this particular card. However, he was sure of one thing: whatever Helmos produced would easily spell the end of the match. It had worked before, hadn't it?

To say the least, Jin's curiosity was piqued. He had never heard of any card effect that actually transformed monster cards into Equip cards before, and he could not help but wonder what the end result would be.

With a single roar, the might of Helmos drew into itself the body and soul of Insect Queen as it had done to others, and using the power of Atlantis the two entirely separate beings became one. The energies of the mortal and immortal fused into each other and transcended existence itself to become a weapon of ultimate might. Such was the strength of Helmos, transforming the powers of one being into an enhancement for another. And when the light did clear the new form of Helmos was unveiled.

Suffice it to say it was the most disgusting Equip card Joey had ever laid eyes on.

At first glance, the weapon appeared to be an arm-length gauntlet of some sort, built out of some sort of chitin that looked similar to that of the Insect Queen, and in fact had a smaller version of its wing casing and thorax built into the fist. However, the device had a much more sinister capacity, for as it linked itself up to the free arm of the Blue Flame Swordsman the carapace opened, to unveil a long and glowing set of three organic spines that dripped with toxins. Such weaponry belonged only in science fiction, but here it was anyway.

_Ugh. Nasty monster, nasty Equip card… _

Still, if it worked, then he would gladly use it again.

"Alright, Wheeler, if yer so confident in yer dragon, then let's see 'er in action!"

"I'm glad you said so. Now, because Blue Flame Swordsman was equipped with Insectoid Poison Gauntlet, I can inflict a number of points of damage to you equal to the level of my monster times 200. However, that's not all that happens, as you'll see in a second."

As the text of the card indicated, one of the poison darts extended itself beyond the shell and initiated its primary function as a tool of assassination, speeding forth to strike Jin in the shoulder. In spite of the fact that the barb was a hologram, it still produced a harsh sensation of pain that was indicative of the sick and twisted minds that had produced the Duel Gauntlets. (Joey: 1500/Jin: 1400)

"Is that the best you've got, Joey? Remember, on me next turn me Phoenix shall wipe you out, and I doubt yer monster has enough power to stop me before then."

"You'd be surprised what my monster can do in a turn with a Helmos equip. Anyway, because you lost 800 life points my monster gains a quarter of that amount, giving him an extra 200 attack points!" The second function of the Gauntlet was triggered at this point, pumping a variation of adrenaline into the Swordsman's bloodstream. (2000/1600)

"Still not enough, boyo."

"Actually, I think it is. Remember, this Equip card is a form of one of da Legendary Dragons, so it has some pretty sick powers. Like this next one, for instance; because my Blue Flame Swordsman had 1800 attack points, I can use the second needle to drop the attack of any of your monstas by a quarter of that attack! And since your Pegasus only has 1900 attack points, I think I'm gonna go after him!"

Much like the first biological weapon, the following dart ejected itself, only this time going after one of the more celestial targets. However, unlike Jin, the pegasus could feel the deep sting of the attack and the burning of the venom, and so it began thrashing violently about, wings flapping haphazardly as it staggered around in agony. (1450/1100)

"Damn it all! How'd ya do that!"

"Call it raw skill, my friend. And remember, I still haven't attacked yet, so Blue Flame Swordsman, destroy his Penumbral Pegasus!"

Finally allowed to engage in true combat, the azure warrior charged forward with a powerful battle cry fresh upon his lips, being quite careful to avoid the deathly blow of the beast's hoof. And after circling the thrashing beast for a minute, the Swordsman finally decided to put the creature out of its misery with a swift and clean beheading. (Joey: 1500/ Jin: 950)

"Saints be praised! I haven't had this much fun since me fight with Urameshi!"

Amazingly, in spite of the fact that he had lost his massive lead, Jin still seemed to be enjoying the match, or rather, enjoying the challenge of the match. It was strange how similar he was to Yusuke.

"Yeah, this has been a good match, but now it's time to end it."

"Well, I suppose the old sayin' is true. All good things must come to an end. Ready to lose?"

"Hell no. But I end my turn anyway."

"Perfect." And with a single motion, Jin drew what very well might have been the last draw of the match.

"This is it, Wheeler! Flash Phoenix, destroy his Blue Flame Swordsman and end this duel now!"

Once again the grand phoenix took to the skies, blazing form disgracing the sun as it hurled itself down upon the swordsman. The two soldiers of the flame prepared to do battle, but there was no certain victor on that day. One held the power of Sol, the other of Helmos, and both were deadly forces to reckon with.

Joey knew this…and he also knew how to handle the fact.

"I activate the final effect of my Gauntlet, which lets me negate your battle phase so long as my monster loses half of its attack points!"

And thusly was the final needle's function unveiled, for it split into two separate spindles, which became twin streams of tear gas that completely inundated the field and every monster therein. As such it prevented the phoenix from detecting its target, and instead the beast slammed its wing into the concrete with a heavy thud.

"Curses! You've got to be the luckiest of us all, Wheeler!"

"Mebbe I am. Anyway, that end your turn?"

"There's nothing I can do. Your move."

Having said this, the smoke cleared, revealing Jin's remaining monsters looking slightly the worse for wear, and the Blue Flame Swordsman appearing as though his lungs had been crushed, legs slowly giving out on him as he fell to the ground. (1000/1600)

"Well, it doesn't look like ya can do much to me. Remember, ya can only activate the effects of your Gauntlet every other turn, so on me next turn your monster will be too weak to stop me. Way I see it, I win."

"You haven't beaten me yet. My move!"

Joey knew that, despite his façade of bravado, Jin was correct. There were very few options left to him, and unless he drew the right card he was done for. But what could he do? He only had one monster on the field with 1000 attack points, and this next draw would only grant him one card. It all depended on that card, and he knew what had to be done.

_For Serenity._

With a single motion, he drew it out, praying for the card, hoping, and when he looked at the card…"Well, Wheeler, ya draw anythin' good?"

"Actually, I did. I activate the Magic card, Premature Burial, paying 800 life points to special summon any monster from my graveyard into face up attack position! And in this case, I'm goin' after my D.D. Assailant!" (Joey: 700/Jin: 950) Even as he spoke, a tower of grave soil burst forward, and with it came the dimensional warrior. (1700/1600)

"Is that the best you've got? Me monsters still have more than enough attack to prevent you from winning this match."

"Not really. You see, my Blue Flame Swordsman has a special effect, allowing it to decrease its attack strength by any amount, and add that strength to another warrior on my side of the field. So I'll reduce the Swordsman's attack to zero to increase my Assailant's power by 1000!"

The Swordsman, his part in the battle done, was more than happy to pass the torch over to the stronger of the soldiers, and so did he cross blades with the dimension bender to deliver his force to the ending blow before lying to sleep. (0/1600) (2700/1600)

Jin looked at Joey with a sort of stupefied wonder. The move did not make a whole lot of sense; even with the attack boost the Assailant did not have enough attack points to win it. Surely the streetwise duelist should have realized this, so then why did he perform the strategy?

Unless…

"I see. Your Gauntlet has one final special effect, doesn't it?"

"You guessed right. Because the monster that was equipped with this card lost all of its attack points, I can add 200 extra to any monster I choose, and I select D.D. Assailant to receive the boost."

And inexplicably, a fourth syringe, this one emerging from the shoulder of the device, bolted out of the casing and into the jugular of the remaining monster. It only took a moment for the steroids to kick in, but the effect was so small it was hardly to be noticed. (2900/1600)

Jin noticed, however, and let out a sigh. Once again, he was beaten, and once again, he was glad it was to a man he had so much in common with.

"Well, Joe, it looks like this be the end of me. Go on and finish it."

"It's good to see you don't panic and yell like some of the others I beat. Ok, D.D. Assailant, let's wrap dis up." _Jin and Yusuke really do think alike. This is exactly how Yusuke reacted when he first dueled Yug… _

The reflections on friendship and similarity, being lost on a hologram, played little into the Assailant's motions as he charged Jin's final monster that could be attacked, the Thunder Nyan Nyan. With one grand sweep of the sword he crushed the drum set that served as her main weapon, and in the process slicing her down the middle. The stream of blood splattered everywhere, but the gore was to be expected.

A sad sort of tragedy was represented here, a darkness of the largest tournament ever held. Joey and Jin both knew it, for they themselves had seen the shadows. But that still left one query unanswered: what was to be done about it. (Joey: 700/Jin: 0)

"Not a bad match, Joey. Reminds me of me last fight against Urameshi. Hell, you two are almost exactly alike."

"I might say the same about you."

Seemingly unphased by his loss, the peppy demon took to hovering once again, and took up one of his cards.

"Anyways, here's what ya wanted, me key and Rekka, me rarest card." With that he slapped the items into Joey's palm. "So, what's next on yer list, Wheeler?"

Honestly, Joey could not yet answer that. He had quite a few grudges in this tournament, ranging from Kaiba to Hiei, so he could not say for certain who his next opponent would be.

"I dunno. May look around for a bit, find another duel to get me to the finals."

"Good luck with that. As for me, I've got some well earned resting to do. Seeya 'round, Wheeler, me boy. Tell Urameshi I said hello."

Thus did the wind master Jin jump forth and hurtle through the air, sailing off to whereever he intended to go, and for a moment, Joey thought he looked like an oversized leprachaun.

"Man, the people I meet at these things. I need a break…"

And since it was doubtful such an option would present itself in a department store, the duelist decided it best to saunter off to more peaceable areas, ignorant of the damage caused from his outburst and the shocked look on everyone's faces.

He was also ignorant of the pair of frosty golden eyes that singled him out from the rest of the crowd, staring at him from a safe distance.

_Count your blessings quickly, Joey Wheeler, for when I'm through with you there won't be any to number… _

"It's time to begin. Bui, Suikotsu, intercept the one named Wheeler. Make sure he doesn't walk out of his next duel breathing."

Shaded Park

"SON OF A BITCH!"

In his four years as Spirit Detective, Yusuke had never been much of a statistics kind of guy. His belief was that any problem could be solved by throwing around a few punches, and with notable exceptions in proportion that was generally the case. Most of the time he let Kurama and Genkai do the thinking, but he preferred to take the direct approach.

But this time, it looked as though he'd need more than his fist to get out of this mess.

Before his very eyes the data poured out on the hologram: rosters, biographical documents, deck archetypes, everything to do with every duelist. They knew everything about them, from the Shadow Games in Battle City, to the Dark Tournament, to the War for Paradigm City, and everything in between. They even had records of his multiple deaths, records no one should have known of.

It was frightening, the amount of intelligence that New Paradigm had managed to collect. Was it even possible? And more importantly, how had it been accomplished? He had heard at great length of how New Paradigm had seperated itself from the rest of humanity, so it was doubtful that they had any connections to local governments.

There were so many options and possible conspiracies behind this new discovery that it made his head hurt.

With little else to do, Yusuke decided it best to sit down and look at the data in-depth, or as in-depth as he could manage, anyway.

_Hard to believe how times change. Four years ago I'd be beating the shit out of Kuwabara by now, and here I am hunting through the rosters of a massive Duel Monsters tournament for a way to stop a man who used to be a friend of mine... _

That raised a very interesting question: could Yusuke even have called Hiei Jagenshi his friend in that time? He had hardly been supportive of anyone, often making death threats and performing sociopathic acts.

But in spite of all that, Hiei had been a noble demon. More than once he had been critically involved in events where normally Yusuke and the others would have perished, and he recalled one incident where he had saved his life without even knowing he was in danger.

Still, there were certain acts that were beyond absolution, and no matter how Hiei had acted in those days, it was no excuse for what he had done now.

Even now, after he had seen him succumb, Yusuke still could not believe how far Hiei had fallen over the past year. Life and death meant nothing to him anymore. Humanity was cheap, the demon race was nothing more than a sword to him, and somewhere along the line he had convinced others of the same.

How did he hold such power, and such knowledge?

It was best not to think of such matters at that moment; while the ponderings over Hiei and what he had become were vague and multifaceted at best, the data he had just found was definitely the more stable of the two. And in this case, the top priority here was facts, not speculation.

With this in mind, Yusuke began to scroll through the roster. It seemed pretty straightforward at first. Basically the list read as a who's who of the dueling world, in which were included some familiar faces, and even a few of his old rivals from the Dark Tournament had come for the duels.

But as always, this was only the tip of the iceberg. After only a few minutes of viewing the duelist roster, a shift in programming was triggered, opening a second window…and a new horror.

"Jesus…"

What played out before him was a second inventory, but one which was much different than the last one he saw. Instead of a list of duelists he saw a list of weapons, hundreds of thousands of weapons. Grenades, cybernetic armor, tanks, vehicles, and countless firearms and ammunition.

As the ticker price sailed higher and higher, Yusuke could easily tell that what New Paradigm had purchased was more than enough to conquer any nation on Earth. However, the question still remained as to who had bought this stockpile.

As if that was a difficult question to answer.

"Damn it, Hiei, what have you done?"

So this wasn't just any tournament. For whatever reason, Hiei intended to turn the city into the next World War. But why would he do it? Surely by now he had managed to attain connections with local governments; why would he damage such fragile trusts? Besides, it simply was not practical to level his own city. What was going on here? And why did he feel as though this had all happened before?

It ended up leaving him with no leads and a really bad headache, and he suddenly knew what a hangover felt like.

_God, this is just like what happened in Mushiori City, only this time with a stronger opponent and less options that would work in our favor…_

With little else to do, the detective closed the Spirit Compass, in the process storing what he had found. Maybe the others could make sense of it all, but he was too tired to work with any of it at that point. And so, Yusuke decided to simply rest on the bench until he could figure out how to approach the situation.

However, the fates had no intentions of allowing this, for at that instant Yusuke felt a cold presence bearing down on him, one that was quite familiar, and yet, one he had never sensed before.

_You have got to be kidding…_

With one motion the pseudo-guardian rose to his feet, desperately searching, seeking out a man whom he himself had struck down, or at least his body had.

"If you're looking for me, Yusuke, I suggest you turn around."

"So, you are alive. That doesn't really add up to much, though, does it?"

"Please. Humanity itself does not add up at all, and yet here you are defending it. You really are Koenma's puppet, even after he's buried, but that does not particularly surprise me."

There was no need for introductions between the two. Yusuke knew him all too well, as they had crossed paths about two years previously, and he knew what he was up against.

And so he turned to face the darkness.

"Long time no see, Shinobu, or whichever personality you've taken on."

Indeed it was Sensui, little different from the last time they had met save for the white Duel Gauntlet, as well as what appeared to be a glowing green crystal fused with his left hand. _Crazy bastard._

"So, are you here to talk or die, because I think you know what direction I'm leaning in right now."

"Your arrogance continues unabated, Yusuke, which is strange given the results of our last battle." His face displayed no emotions, except perhaps the insanity that he had been known for all that time ago. In fact, it was that insanity that seemed to take precedence over the rest of his features…

"So what did you have in mind? I could just kill you right now, unless it's a duel you're after."

"You read my mind, Yusuke. As I don't doubt you know, I myself have obtained several keys in my stay here, but my ideas for this particular match exceed such petty intents. I have something much larger to accomplish now."

So he was still warped by Chapter Black. No surprises there. But that still left Yusuke wondering how he intended to accomplish this with one duel.

"Oh really? What else could you possibly do to entertain your grand delusions?"

With a grim smile, Sensui activated the Gauntlet.

"Perhaps I should take your soul." (Yusuke: 4000/Sensui: 4000)

Hotel Lobby Bar

Kaiba had never been one to indulge in anything to any great effect, partially because of his obligation to Kaiba Corp, but mostly because he found it a waste of time. For that reason, one would never find him at places such as nightclubs or taverns save for business reasons.

Pegasus, however, did not have such discretion, which was why Kaiba and Botan were both watching him very carefully lest he partake of one too many gin martinis. Already he had had two, and from the looks of things he had no intention of stopping at that.

"Alright, you want to know what's going on, correct?"

"If that weren't the case, then I would have killed you right then and there. And please try to keep yourself sober."

"It's almost six, Kaiba boy. Why shouldn't I get a little buzz going?"

"Because I've seen you when you're drunk, Pegasus, and it is not a pretty sight. I want information, not a sight of you bellowing showtunes. Rather off key, I might add."

Pegasus's expression immediately became quite dour as he ordered a pair of scotches on the rocks. Normally, the barkeep wouldn't have served someone this many drinks, but the way he figured it, he could get the businessmen drunk enough to cut him in on some stock options.

"Help yourself, Kaiba. Drinks on me."

Normally, he would have refused, but it seemed he would need something to ease his mind. "You want anything, Botan?"

"No thanks."

The rounds were poured, and Pegasus began to sip on his slowly. From the look on his face, he would need it.

"So what is it you want to know specifically?"

"First off, why were you and Tsubaki dueling together?"

"That's simple. Her superior, that Naraku fellow, had an agreement with the New Paradigm City Council. As long as we could keep an eye on him he could deal his guns and his drugs in the city. Also, he agreed to have one of our agents supervise his people, so the president of the board, Vera Ronstadt, requested that I duel with one to see what their plan was."

So far so good, thought Kaiba. At least now he knew Pegasus wasn't working with Naraku directly. However, that was hardly comforting.

"That brings up my next point. What is the plan of the New Paradigm City Council? It seems they're dealing with some rather shady characters, and I don't doubt that one of my enemies is among that number."

"You are referring to Hiei Jagenshi, aren't you?"

Pegasus had seen many expressions on Kaiba's face before, the bulk of them various forms of shock and anger, but never once had he seen a combination of the two.

"How do you know him?" His voice had become a deadly whisper, one that Kaiba only used when he was on the verge of homicide.

"Relax, I do not work for him or the Black Shadow. To be perfectly honest he disgusts me, but apparently Vera needs him alive for whatever reason. But more to the point, the New Paradigm City Council has no real plans in action at the moment; they're not exactly out to control the world like Hiei or Naraku."

"So then why have they been making deals with these men?"

"To keep New Paradigm safe, of course. The Black Shadow alone has more than enough power to level the city, so it's up to us to keep him from doing that. We overlook his activities in the criminal world, he doesn't kill us. Seems fair enough, I think."

Pegasus seemed fairly relaxed as he leaned back and nursed the scotch, letting its warmth sooth him. "You have no idea of what's going on in this city, Kaiba boy. There are at least three different organizations vying for control, and it's up to us to make certain the peace is kept. We're the balance; we keep the wars in the boardroom…"

"And yet you were unable to prevent Hiei from trying to kill me and kidnapping Botan. What kind of circus are you running here?"

"You don't exactly give us a lot of credit…"

"Was I supposed to? That lunatic is overrunning the city, Pegasus, and like it or not he's going to turn on you next. You've met him, you know people like him, so surely you know what he's going to do next."

It never ceased to amaze him how moronic the world of Paradise and its inhabitants were. Like so many before, the Council believed that peace and roundabout politics would eventually sooth the beasts of greed. Using buearaucracy and power New Paradigm was able to maintain a very short leash, but from experience Kaiba knew that would not last for too much longer.

What kind of underdeveloped freaks were running the city anyway?

"Kaiba boy, I don't think you're looking carefully at the big picture. Hiei won't try to kill us because he needs us. Without the Council, he simply will not be able to survive. He needs us to get away with his actions, since we control his funding and the laws that would normally have him shot. He cannot do a thing to us."

"For your sake, you had better be correct. I'm in no mood for tricks right now."

The door to the bar opened, and an indiscreet little man entered. No one noticed or cared as he sat in one of the booths.

"Kaiba, you're lucky I'm even telling you this. Technically, you're an enemy of the state. No one knows or cares, but Vera has you and Yugi boy in her crosshairs, along with Roger Smith the negotiator. Apparently she thinks you're a threat to the peace, and I have to agree with her. So take my advice and stay out of it."

"You know I won't, Pegasus. Jagenshi and I have a score to settle, and you had better not stand in my way. Besides, if we let him continue in this vein of his there won't be a city to keep the peace in."

Botan, who had kept silent throughout most of this, peered over Kaiba's shoulder to look at the older man. "He's right, you know. I've seen Hiei's work firsthand; before you know it he'll be pulling the strings like a puppet master. He's done it before."

Kaiba nodded in confirmation, seeming to trust her judgment without fail. In fact, the very sound of her voice seemed to relax him.

For a brief moment, Pegasus forgot his original plan as he saw in Kaiba and Botan a very familiar sight. He could see they trusted each other, confided in each other, and recalling how the girl had pinned Kaiba to the wall, they apparently desired each other very much. He felt a twinge of humanity in his heart, himself remembering a time when he too was in love- that sweet and simple time when all that really mattered was a warm embrace and a kiss on the cheek. They loved one another, he saw; this was more than a simple affair, and he knew it would last.

_Just as my love for Cecilia was to last…_

He didn't want to do this to them anymore; he could not bear the sight of another love falling to pieces because of a warped destiny. His will slowly began to dissolve like the ice cubes in his scotch, and he almost gave in.

But then, his resolve solidified. Their love would last forever and beyond time itself…even in the chasms of Hell. And if he was to regain his own love and give her peace, that was exactly where he would need to send them.

"So is there anything else you need to know?"

"Yes, one more detail." With a look of calm loathing, Kaiba extracted the Sennen Rod and placed it to Pegasus's throat. "When exactly did you intend to betray us?"

Botan's eyes widened as she stumbled away from the bar in terror. "Seto, what the heck are you doing!"

"Pegasus set us up. He wouldn't give us this information unless he was sure we wouldn't live to tell anyone else."

The rival duelist and businessman said nothing to deny the fact, and even grinned slightly as he finished his scotch.

"How perceptive of you, Kaiba boy. It seems we know each other's tricks very well. I knew that you would be arrogant enough to interrogate me, so I decided to lead you on. And worry not, every word I spoke is truth; no need to commit perjury for a man who is about to die."

So this was his game. Kaiba could not believe how easily he had fallen for the bait.

"Of course, I won't be doing any of the killing. My associate here will do that for me. Mukotsu, if you don't mind…"

At this, the little man that had entered a few moments ago stood up. He was indeed a strange man, draped in flowing white garments which covered his face, leaving only two beady eyes leering out, and a satchel upon his back containing many containers of various materials. Attached to his left arm was a pale Duel Gauntlet.

"Now, normally my friend here would simply kill you on the spot. However, I had something a bit more interesting in mind. I'll allow you one last duel; if you win, the girl lives, and if not, well, I don't think I need explain myself on that matter. And if you had any intention not to duel, then I'll kill her myself. I'm good like that."

"You sick bastard…"

"Be careful what you say, Kaiba." This time it was the one named Mukotsu who spoke up. "I should warn you, my toxic powers are far beyond your capacity to survive. The reaper might escape alive, but she will be in no condition to go very far."

"Don't you dare threaten him! He hasn't done anything to you!"

"This is true," said Pegasus with a voice as smooth as glass. "However, Vera and and the other members of the Council, or rather, the other members of the Union, have decided that Kaiba is too dangerous to be kept alive. And besides, it would not trouble me to take the life of the man who has been a thorn in my side for far too long. But fret not, my boy. When I'm done with you I'll go after Yugi Mouto, and you can take some comfort in that he'll finally be defeated."

This did no such thing. However, as he thought of what Pegasus had said, a smirk played over his face.

"So it appears I was correct after all. You really are Jagenshi's puppet, and the city is as well."

Pegasus would not fall for this trick; psychological attacks did not work on those who were already insane.

"Nothing but talk, Kaiba. It's as I said; we are keeping the peace, nothing more."

And with that said, Pegasus retreated to another side of the bar whilst Mukotsu and Kaiba prepared.

He was not entirely sure what to expect from the poison master, since he had never even heard of him before, but he knew that he would have to crush him. For Botan, and for the world.

_Good God, I sound like Yugi._

But then, in any event, he knew that this was true.

"Seto? Do me a favor and kick his ass."

"My sentiments exactly. Get ready to lose, Mukotsu! And that counts double for you, Pegasus!" (Kaiba: 4000/ Mukotsu: 4000)

Aftermath of Inuyasha's Fight

_A single trickle of blood flows down my face, yet I don't notice. There is a sharp pain spreading all over my body, yet I feel nothing. My powers are gone, leaving a hole in my existence, yet I do not care. My pride is broken, yet I don't mind it much. I have lost, yet it does not bother me._

_If I have lost so much, then why do I have no sense of it? _

Inuyasha could feel himself floating, suspended in an unknown substance. It was a thick, translucent black liquid which he had never seen before in his life, but one he was familiar with for some unknown reason, and as he tried to move about in it the fluid restricted his movements.

After a moment or two, the next logical motion was to take breath, but that was, in this environment, more of a risk than not breathing at all. So all he could do for the moment was hold his breath and attempt to reach the surface.

The first idea that came to mind was, of course, to reach for the Tetsusaiga, a vain attempt at best, but he went for it anyway.

_Cold…why is it so cold?_

The goosebumps rose on his thick skin as he forced his way through the substance, desperately clawing for his father's blade. Far off in the distance he could see a tiny pinprick of bright green light, and as he laid eyes on it there was a sudden sense of urgency.

_I have to reach it. I have to… _

It became strenuous to hang onto the air in his lungs, as the sharp pangs in his chest implied. His fingers were growing numb, and the light was growing ever closer.

What was going on here? Where was he in the first place, and why was he there? Perhaps he had died from the beating Raphael had given him and this was his own little slice of Hell. No, if that was the case, then Kikyo would have been involved somehow in his eternal torment. This was something else entirely.

His struggles meant nothing as he squirmed towards the blade, and even now the slime began to tighten around him. Where once he could barely move, he now could not even twitch a muscle.

_Does it really surprise you, Inuyasha? _

A voice was capable of rending the gelatinous prison in which he was contained? Impossibility upon impossibility paraded through what Inuyasha would call a nightmare as the light sped forward, and from this distance he could vaguely discern that the source was a circle of some kind. He could not tell precisely what it was, but the glow had an eerie familiarity to it.

_Look around you, dog demon; can you not see what this place is? Attempt to see beneath the obvious, and see what this world's true purpose is. _

Whoever the speaker was, it was obvious he did not know that Inuyasha was not extraordinarily talented in interpreting symbolism.

To the best of his current abilities, the half breed began to scan the surrounding area, searching for clues as to what this chaotic incarceration was supposed to mean. There really wasn't anything around except for that light and the sludge.

The pains in his chest were unbearable. He felt his head swim.

_Look deeper. Where have you seen that light before?_

That was just it, thought Inuyasha. He hadn't seen that light before, except perhaps in a dream somewhere. He didn't even know how he had gotten here to begin with…

_See beyond, Inuyasha…see beyond…_

In his mind, the demon started hurling obscenities at the incorporeal being, all the time losing his focus on reality. He could feel himself slipping, slipping into the chasm…

The Eye opened, the Mind's Eye held by all, and in it Inuyasha could see someone, a tall man, a powerful looking duelist with close-cropped hair and a thick trench coat. He was yelling something indistinct, but it seemed that he was quite serious about what he said.

The name flashed through his mind: Raphael.

'_That's right. I was dueling him. It's hazy, but I remember something about a crest or an emblem card being played. No, it was a seal…yeah, that's it, the Seal of Orichalcos.' _

The green light flared strongly now; it seemed to have reacted to the recollection of the Magic card.

More memories returned to him: he had been yelling at great length, roaring some kind of threat. He could barely recall a scream, harsh and unclear words being exchanged, and very far down, almost beyond his memory, could be heard broken sobs.

'_What is all this? What's going on?' _

This place, Inuyasha, is your mind, the inner subconscious where the deepest patterns of thought are controlled. Here, the conscience is determined, life decisions are solidified, and memories are interpreted. It is the final process that has brought you here.

'That raises another question. How are you talking to me?'

The voice indulged in a lilting chuckle, as though Inuyasha had just told a dirty joke and wasn't aware of the fact.

_Did you not hear? We are in your mind; the laws of the outside world do not apply. And before you ask, the fluid you are trapped in is not real either. However, it is important, for it is representative of a major part of your subconscious mind. It represents your fear. _

Inuyasha was not one to take such philosophy and metaphor in stride.

'_What do you mean this represents fear! I don't have any!' _

_Oh, but you do. _The bodiless resonance took on a more somber tone._ You are afraid of loss. Throughout your entire life, those you have loved have left you, from Kagome to your own mother, and because of this you grow afraid that if you don't become strong you will lose more people. As this fear grows you take more desperate actions. You become reckless, and fearful that you will lose more loved ones you take on great powers, including some that you simply cannot control. Eventually, the fear becomes your own little cocoon, in which you believe that you can continue to draw power imperviously. However, the fear quickly constricts you. You become so enveloped in fear and power that you cannot see the danger you put others in by calling it. _

_'That's not true at all! I use that power to save the people I love, not because I have some sort of seperation anxiety!'_

_Then why did you activate the Seal of Orichalcos, against your better judgment and against Tea's wishes? You believed that if you defeated Raphael you could gain his power and defeat Jagenshi, which on the surface is noble indeed. But if you should look beneath the surface, you will see the truth of the situation. You were frightened again, for when the Orichalcos Shockwave struck you down you realized that you weren't strong enough. So you saw fit to take that power from him, and by doing so became the very thing you swore to control._

_'No…I did it for Tea…for Kagome…for Kikyo…'_

_You want to believe that, don't you? You want to believe it with every fiber of your wretched existence!_ The voice now became one of cold malice and hate. _You could never admit your own sins to those you loved, so there is no way you could admit them to yourself! By playing that card, you succumbed to the fear and the darkness, making you no better than Naraku and Hiei! Face it, you're cruel and evil, all the way to your soul, and no matter how you deny it this shall always be so! There is nothing in your heart but a gaping black hole, and all the power on Earth could not fill that void!_

_'Shut up! You know that's not true!'_

_It is! It is and you will simply not accept it! You are one with the Orichalcos now! You are the scum of the Earth and deserve to die! You should have stayed pinned to the tree, but I suppose you would have found a way to bastardize Kikyo's magic too!_

_'I never meant to hurt anyone! I needed that power to protect my friends!'_

_ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES, INUYASHA! YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF THIS MIND, AND SO I CAST YOU OUT OF IT!_

He could hold his breath no longer, and so the vile fluid poured down his throat and into his lungs, stinging his tougue with the acrid tang of blood and gunpowder. His will cracked, and he allowed himself to slip fully away. He could not scream or even yell.

The plummet was long and slow, like when one is about to fall into a deep sleep, and before entering the darkness he uttered one name.

"Anzu…"

Life and chaos interconnected, realities became dreams and dreams became reality, and Inuyasha's human eyes opened. He was in the exact same location as he had fallen, except for the fact that he was propped against the wall.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry for everything that happened…"

The blood trickled with every word he spoke, his eyes watered in pain and misery. What had he done, and what would he do?

But as he thought these things, a soft palm placed itself gently against his face, wiping away the blood and tears.

"I forgive you."

To Be Continued

Wow. One helluva schmaltzfest there.

I'm pretty sure most of the original cards in here are mine, with the exception of those mentioned before.

Anyway, next chapter begins three duels with three members of the infamous Band of Seven, while the full power of Shinobu Sensui's deck is also unveiled. At the same time, Enzeru is faced with a most interesting challenge, Roger considers what is to be done, Joey is faced with not one, but three opponents, and Tea and Inuyasha talk.

So until next update, read and review.


	44. An Ode to Chaos! Battle with the Band

Disclaimer: You know how it works.

Alright, last chapter gave rise to a very important chain of events. First off, Hiei revealed his plans to bring New Paradigm to its knees by force. Secondly, the return of DOOM is unveiled to Yami, along with a challenge to duel by two of members of the dreaded Band of Seven. Next we have Kaiba, who is caught again in a duel set up by Pegasus against poison master Mukotsu. Joey finally defeated Jin, and Yusuke was encountered by Sensui. Finally, Inuyasha had to confront his own fears and desperation.

Chapter 44 brings Enzeru into his first duel against one of Hiei's deadliest assassin duelists, while Yami and Kagome do battle with Jakotsu and Renkotsu. Kaiba also faces a member of the Band of Seven, Mukotsu, as Yusuke faces Shinobu Sensui in the rematch of the century. Joey, meanwhile, must enter another variant duel, and without Yugi's help, and Tea and Inuyasha give talk of what has happened.

Let's start the show!

Chapter 43: An Ode to Chaos! Battle with the Band

Yusuke vs. Sensui

"Since it was your ancestor that defeated me last time, Yusuke, I'll begin the duel!"

With one motion, Sensui drew out his entire starting hand and fanned it out. Even with a passing glance he could tell he had struck gold.

"I'll keep things simple for the moment by summoning Templar Axewielder in attack mode and placing two cards face down on the field." Sensui's first monster was indeed of the class of Templar, the holy knights mandated to protect pilgrims during the time of the Crusades. This particular soldier was massively built, almost too much so for his chain mail and bassinet helm to contain. Covering said armor was a finely woven beige smock with a blood red crucifix painted on, and in each hand was held a heavy axe. (1700/1400) "Your move, Yusuke."

"You'll regret coming back! I draw!" _Not a bad way to start things off. _"I'll start by summoning Yata Garasu to the field in attack mode, and then I'll play the Continuous Magic card known as Homage of Chi! This card's effect can only be used on a Spirit monster with under 1500 attack points, and it allows the monster to increase it's attack by the strength of any monster I attack, so you know what's coming."

Once again was Yusuke's rarest monster summoned, looking skittish as ever as the raven jumped about the place. (200/100) However, this was not to last, for directly behind him emerged an ancient altar carved of stone, seemingly Chinese in origin, and from the altar wafted a stream of vanilla-scented incense which gave the crow power. (1900/100)

"Yata Garasu, destroy his Templar Axewielder!"

With a cracked screech the spectral crow set forth, beak full ready to gouge out the Templar's soul.

"I'm afraid that your heathen spirits won't beat me this time! Reveal face down card, Guard of Card, which allows me to discard one card from my hand to negate any kind of destruction levied against my monster!" And just before Yata Garasu's attack struck, a heavy card-studded shield rose to intercept the blow.

"Damn. Alright, I'll place a card face down to end my turn." With that, Yusuke's spirit was cast back into his hand.

"My move again!" Another card drawn. _Well, it's not the card I was hoping for, but it shall serve my purposes for the moment. _"I'll start this turn by activating the Cost Down Magic card, which lets me discard a card from my hand to lower the level of the monsters in my hand by two during this turn. Next, I'll activate the face down card from last turn, Call of the Haunted, to resurrect the monster I just discarded, Templar Sword Master! Finally, I will normal summon Templar Cavalier to the field in attack mode!"

Never had Yusuke seen such a move played out before in his dueling life, for before his eyes Sensui had managed to flawlessly summon two high powered monsters in one turn. And so he witnessed the calling of the dominating warlords of Christ, one being a lightly built warrior with a lengthy broadsword, and the other a mounted warrior with an oak-shafted lance. Both were garbed in a similar fashion to the Axewielder, with some minor variations in chain mail density to account for each warrior's weaponry skill. (2500/2200) (2200/2000)

"It appears that this duel will be over quicker than I expected; once again you've fallen short. Now my monsters, attack him directly!"

"Who said that I fell short? Remember, my Homage of Chi card is still in play, and because of that I can change the position of your monsters if they attack me directly and at least two are of the same monster class. And since all three are warriors, I think you know what's gonna happen."

At that moment, the charge for God was haphazardly interrupted by a sudden gust of cream-colored smoke emerging from the altar which left the three Templars in a haze upon the ground. It was indeed one of the most pathetic sights ever seen by man.

"Not bad. I end my turn." _So he did pick up a few skills from the old hag after all. Still, within a few more turns all the skills on Earth won't save him._

"Wow, only the second turn and already your monsters are backed into a corner. Looks to me like they should lay off the sauce." 

Sensui, having never really been connected with his cards as Yusuke was, only snorted in contempt.

"A loudmouth through and through, Yusuke. However, that won't be enough. I've changed since our last meeting; as with you, death has only made me stronger."

"Oh yeah? Try dying twice and then we'll talk. Anyway, it's my move, so I'll place a monster in defense mode and another card face down. Take it away."

"Please don't tell me that's all you have planned." Another draw. "Once again, Yusuke, you underestimate me. I'll place this card face down, and switch my Sword Master into attack mode. I shall then mount an attack on your face down monster. However, this next assault of mine has an ulterior intent behind it, namely the Quick-Play Magic card I'm about to activate, a card known as Hidden Motive! You see, by attacking with a Templar monster, I can activate this card and draw six others!"

With another flick of the wrist, Sensui's hand was refreshed._ Damn it, I still don't have the card. However, my monster will still prove to be more than a match for his face down beast._

It was indeed going to be a bloodbath; it did not take a genius to tell that the Templar had earned his title of sword master. Even in a running position, the swordsman was able to maintain his sword at a perfect balance, and his transition into a backhanded slash was flawless. 

However, the monster did not spill any blood. In fact, as the Templar cleaved into the card, it was strangely devoid of any reaction at all.

"What's going on! Why is there no monster there?"

Sensui did not believe what he was seeing. Either the holograms were malfunctioning, or he had just walked directly into a trap.

"You had better explain what's going on, Yusuke. Unlike the others you've faced, I have no patience for cheap tricks."

"This is no trick; you oughta know by now that this isn't a regular match."

"Then start explaining."

"Not really that hard to understand. You just attacked Shikigami, a spirit dummy with no attack or defense. However, when he's attacked, he automatically returns to my hand at the end of the turn, regardless of destruction. Now, I think there's a term for this… Oh right, a lock!"

"WHAT? NO ONE CAN LOCK MY ATTACKS!"

"Then what did I just do?"

After a moment, Sensui managed to regain his composure. He was annoyed, but he had dealt with much worse in his first duel with Dartz. "Fine. I'll place a monster in defense mode and one card face down. Your move."

As soon as he said this, the monster, a squat little man that was made of paper, leapt up from behind Yusuke's leg and jumped back into his hand.

_You won't get away with making a mockery of true dueling, Yusuke…_

"Well, now that that's over, my move!" _Alright, I've got him on the ropes right now, but it won't take long for him to get past this defense. I'm gonna have to go on the offense, and I have just the card to do that._

"First off, I activate the card I just drew, Shikikami Multiplicity, which lets me summon up to three Spirit Doll Tokens to the field in defense mode when Homage of Chi is on the field." A third type of smoke, a faint yet heady peach incense, spread around the shrine, and from said smoke emerged three other Shikikami, identical to the original, save for the fact that they were half his size. (0/500 x3) "Of course, that's not the only effect that Shikikami Multiplicity has. When the original Shikikami monster is in my hand, I can pay 500 life points to reduce the level of any monster in my hand by 2, so I'll go ahead and do that." (Yusuke: 3500/ Sensui: 4000)

"I see what's going on here. You intend to sacrifice a shikikami to summon what once was a high level monster, and you'll then use the other tokens as a shield."

"You catch on pretty quick for a crazed ex-detective. Anyway, I sacrifice one of the Spirit Dolls to summon Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi in attack mode!"

In a flash of embers, the shikikami was instantly lit afire, and unlike many sacrificed monsters, the doll began running wildly about in an astounding desertion of dignity. However, the laughable hex was soon replaced by a towering pillar of flames that formed into the ancient warrior that Yusuke had won in his last duel. (2800/2900)

"Next, I activate the Equip Magic card, Inferno Guandoa, which can only be equipped to a Spirit monster while there are at least two monsters in play. It increases the monster's attack by 800 points and prevents him from returning to my hand; however, as long as it is in play I must set all my monsters before summoning them."

A second, much smaller inferno tower appeared to Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi's left, and when the deity reached into the pillar it changed into a lengthy stave weapon known as a guandoa. It was little different than that used in ancient times, with the notable exception of the fact that the bladed component was on fire. (3600/2900)

"I hope you don't expect that heathen to defeat me, Yusuke."

"I do, and it will. Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack his Templar Sword Master!"

With the orders given, the fire spirit took to the air, feet becoming engulfed in his element as he swept towards the holy warrior with murder in his eyes. The gap was closing at a phenomenal speed, and at that rate it was doubtful that even a Templar could survive an attack like that.

Sensui, however, knew otherwise.

"Your desperate attempts hold no sway over me! I activate the special effect of Templar Sword Master, discarding a card from my hand to cut your monster's attack strength in half!"

After paying for said effect, Sensui stepped back and grinned sickeningly as his Templar shifted positions, setting his blade before him and bracing it with his other hand. This did not seem to be too impressive, and indeed the fire apparition followed through with his strike, lifting the guandoa over his head and swinging it down against the blade.

And amazingly, the sword held. (1800/2900)

"A valiant effort, but a wasted one. Templar Sword Master, eliminate his Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi!"

He did not need to hear the command twice. With a single forceful shove the Templar was able to push the spirit off of him, a move which was followed up by a swift uppercut of the sword which sliced the deity in half. (Yusuke: 2800/Sensui: 4000)

_Shit! I walked right into his trap!"Fine, then. I'll place one card face down to end my turn."_

"If that's the best you can muster, then you may as well just surrender! My move, and I'll use it to activate Monster Recovery! This Magic card allows me to shuffle my hand and one monster on the field into my deck, and in this case, I will shuffle my face down monster." The holographic card vanished just as quickly as Sensui had picked it up, and in mere moments he had drawn out his fresh hand.

It was as he drew the last card that Yusuke's heart began to race in fear.

_Ok, Hiei's holograms may be realistic, but I don't think this is part of them. That is, unless the sick bastard's got some kind of sadomasochistic streak…_

But he knew. Somehow he knew that the resulting fear had not stemmed from the Duel Gauntlet, but rather the card Sensui had just drawn. And the slowly widening smirk upon his features did not ease that knowledge. 

"Well, I think I have everything I need right here in my hand. But first, I need to activate a Field Magic card, a card that shall change this entire duel. I call now upon the power of Atlantis itself! I call down from the heavens the dread might that shall cast all of humanity and its evil into the depths of Hell! I call from my hand…_the Seal of Orichalcos!"_

Yami and Kagome's Hotel Room

"Can you please attempt to have some self-control? This isn't some kind of demolition run, it's a duel."

"It reeks out here! Besides, you're not exactly Mr. Subtlety yourself."

In all of his years, the Pharaoh Atem had seen many alliances of darkness; few were of a trusting manner, and many were out for their own gain upon making the coalition. However, never had he seen seen any cohesive attack with the same template as, well, as sibling rivalry.

It did not diminish the seriousness of the circumstances, but it was sickeningly consoling.

"At any rate, now that my less intelligent compatriot has made the opening introductions, I'll handle the formalities."

After a moment, the dust from the breaking down of the door cleared, revealing the two assailant duelists to be very strangely outfitted indeed, but then there wasn't any kind of outfit that would shock him now.

The first, a man and clearly the leader of the pair, was outfitted in what looked like a mix of Japanese brigadier and pirate clothing, and in spite of the bandanna upon his head Yami was fairly sure he was bald. However, that did not really concern him so much, for the cool, collected, and quite insane look on his face and the triad of purple marks were more than enough to bother him.

And as for the companion, he now understood why he had sounded so feminine. Were it not for the fact that the duelist had called himself a man, he could have sworn he was a woman. He had even gone so far as to apply lipstick. But then, from the sadomasochistic look in his eyes and the massive scimitar he held in his left hand, Yami decided not to pursue the matter.

"So, who has sent you against us, Hiei or Naraku? Even from here I can sense the darkness of the latter, but I doubt he would be as intrusive as this."

"You would be surprised, Atem, how intrusive Naraku can be. In any case, we do work for Hiei, and just to save you the trouble of figuring that out, so does the rest of the Band of Seven. And from the look on Higurashi's face, that is not news you wanted to hear. But more to the point, I am Renkotsu, and although I am inferior to my leader in rank, I am an infinitely better strategist. The cross dresser next to me is Jakotsu."

The last part of this statement was dripping with a heavy aftertaste of revulsion, mostly because Renkotsu was well aware of what was going to happen.

Yami did not, and so was rather horrified when a glint of lust began to develop in Jakotsu's eyes.

"Oh, you're_ so_ much cuter than Inuyasha!"

_It was going to be one of those bad days._

_"_Good God, here we go again. Please try to keep it in your pants, Jakotsu."

"I'm just saying what I'm thinking; there's nothing wrong with that, now is there, Yami?"

With a sort of perverted grace rarely found in modern society, Jakotsu sauntered over to where the Pharaoh was lying, and instantly began leering at him whilst a lecherous grin spread across his face. "Oh, I'm going to have fun with you. I mean, Inuyasha was cute and everything, but you have both looks_ and_ substance, a winning combination. So why don't you ditch the bimbo and come with us?"

In the background, Renkotsu put his head in his left hand, mumbling something to the effect of "damnation". However, this was unsurprisingly lost in the chaos that ensued.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM, YOU TRANSVESTITE BITCH!"

With a scream that was quite outside of her normal damsel in distress façade, Kagome jumped up from behind Yami with murder in her eyes. Yes, quite a strange display, but not quite as strange as what she did next, for in an instant the miko reborn started to do the unthinkable by slapping the perverse Jakotsu about, open-palmed and with great ferocity.

"YOU CAN NEVER HAVE HIM!"

The impacts did not draw blood, of course, but that was not really the intent behind it anyway. No, the intent was a combination of fear and humiliating assault, and that was more than enough to draw out Jakotsu's ire.

And so he reached out the hand that was not holding the blade and caught both of her wrists, effectively ending the assault.

"And everyone wonders why I'm such a chauvinist."

"Jealous?"

"You wish. Besides, I have men going after me all the time. I guess they like the idea of a girl with something extra…"

"EW! That's just sick!"

A slip of wrists later, and Kagome was back at Yami's side, looking somewhat wiser for the wear.

"Ooh, bit of a sensitive stomach, huh? Oh well, I guess that's life for ya. Now, where were we, Yami?"

The Pharaoh also stepped forward, but in his eyes was a bonfire of cool logic and confidence of victory.

"I believe I was about destroy you. After all, we cannot have oversexed servants of the dark running about, now can we?"

With this, Atem slid his deck into the Duel Gauntlet once more, feeling a slight twinge of pain in the process. This was not going to be easy; the color of his opponent's Gauntlets were almost as pale as that of Yami no Marik, so he could tell that they were highly skilled. And there was also the matter of who exactly these men were, for apart from the fact that both would be formidable opponents, there was also the very serious problem that Renkotsu and Jakotsu both had similar life aura wavelengths to Kikyo. In fact, were Yami more unperceptive he would have thought the patterns exactly alike.

He was unsure of how or why, but he could tell they were of the living dead.

"Well, Jakotsu, do you accept my challenge, or are you merely going to lust after me like a little school girl?"

"Don't think you can scare me off; to be honest, I like it rough."

However, before Jakotsu could begin, his superior took a rather large step forward.

"Don't even bother facing this pathetic excuse for a duelist, Jakotsu. I will dispose of him myself; after all, I have been anxious to use my new dueling deck on someone, and who better to use it on than the Game King?"

"WHAT! No fucking way, Renkotsu! He is_ mine_!"

"Oh, right, I forgot about that. Well then, why not duel the wench? She seems an interesting enough challenge, and it will prove your love, if you can call it that, to Yami. I, in the meantime, shall hammer the point home by defeating him."

Jakotsu pouted for a moment, arms crossed with a dour look on his face as he weighed his options rather carefully before making up his mind.

"Alright, but after I've dismantled her I get Yami, correct?"

"Indeed."

At this, the more erratic of the mercenaries gave a contented nod. This would work out well enough indeed. And as he thought of who his opponent was his already twisted grin became even more unbearable.

"You ready to lose, princess?"

"I won't lose to you. I just survived a Darkness Game, didn't I?"

Yami, of course, said nothing. He knew she could win, and also knew that she wouldn't give a damn either way.

He did make one statement as she readied herself, however.

"Take him down, and show him the soul."

Kagome did not even give any indication of response to this, but her eyes said everything which needed to be said as she and Jakotsu began moving towards the hallway.

Purple locked with chestnut, confidence with sadness, as she prepared to duel again. With any luck she would take the victory; besting Yami no Marik was no mean feat. But he could not completely dispel some inset feeling of concern for her safety.

He knew she could win, so why did he feel as though he simply wanted to hold her close and protect her from the world?

The connection lasted for quite a while, up until Kagome drew the door shut behind her. And with that, Yami's attention became solely focused on the duel that was about to start.

In Kagome's stead was now the deranged Renkotsu, hand drawn and fingers twitching in anticipation. Yami also drew out his cards, knowing it was time to return to the arena.

"I'm quite familiar with your past duels, Pharaoh, and I've been carefully studying your deck type ever since you came here. In fact, I designed this new dueling deck just for this match."

"Oh really? Well, if that is the case, then let's duel!" (Yami: 4000/Renkotsu: 4000)

"I'll start this match, if you don't mind." The first card of Renkotsu was drawn, and already a formula was concocting itself. "I'll start by placing one card face down, followed by the activation of the Hinotama Magic card, which I don't need to explain to you. After all, this isn't the first time you've experienced this card, is it?"

If nothing else, that statement caught his attention. It was true what he said, for he had endured the wrath of three such cards in his compulsory duel with Joey back in Battle City.

_So he has been researching me and my previous battles, meaning that this deck was built to counteract my own…_

Whatever other thoughts that would occur to him were quite rudely interrupted by the familiar impact of the orb of flames which crashed into his chest. It was as he was knocked backwards that he fully realized the scale of his arena. Luckily he was able to regain his footing before colliding into the table. (Yami: 3500/ Renkotsu: 4000)

"I'll wrap my turn up by placing a monster in defense mode. Your move, Pharaoh."

"From the way you spoke of your deck I would have expected a slightly more interesting opening. I draw!"

It was not a bad opening hand at all, but he was not entirely certain how to use it. He had never dueled Renkotsu, who seemingly knew his deck quite well, so this ploy could have been set up to intercept him.

Still, he would have to try his hand.

"I'll begin by placing a card face down as well, and summoning Blood Magician of Purgatory to the field in attack mode!" Yami's first monster looked somewhat similar to his Breaker, but instead of armor the creature was draped in robes whose colors were akin to blood. And in place of a sword, the creature held a long and intimidating stave with a scythe-like blade atop it. (1400/1700) "Of course, this is merely the opening strike. I'll follow that up with the Dimension Magic card, which allows me to sacrifice a monster if there is a Spellcaster on my side of the field and special summon another Spellcaster. Also, it lets me destroy one of your monsters at the same time. So I'll tribute the Blood Magician to summon Chaos Command Magician to the field!"

Within the Magic zone emerged a large golden chamber that seemed to bear similarities to the iron maiden torture device, suspended by four chains in a light steel frame. After understanding what was going on, the mage split open the case and slid into it, and was absorbed deep into its internal darkness.

At this, two thing happened simulataneously. Firstly, a beam of bright golden light shot forward and skewered Renkotsu's face down beast. Secondly, the stated mage, a fairly tall specimen dressed in golden and black robes and armed with a short staff, was summoned forth from the dimensional chamber. (2400/1900)

"I'm not done yet. I activate the Magic card, Convenant of the Sages, which allows me to discard a monster from my hand. By doing this, I can summon a Spellcaster from my hand whose level is equal to that of a specially summoned monster on my field. So in this case, I'll select the Ivory Mage!"

Upon discarding, Yami summoned his next monster, a svelte spellcaster clad in bone white armor and robes, and wielding for a weapon a pair of daggers hewn of blood-soaked ivory. (2250/1200) "Now, because this monster was summoned alongside a Light magician, it gains 500 extra attack points, and also lets me set a level four or lower Light monster from my hand onto the field face down." (2950/1200) The pale mage, at this, pulled out a set of ox horns, and hurled them onto the ground in a flare of golden-white flames which created a face down monster.

"Hm. Not too bad, Pharaoh. But it's actually quite the moot point. I activate my face down card, Revulsive Pyre! By removing a Pyro monster in my graveyard from play, I can prevent any and all attacks during this turn."

Before either mage could step forward, a massive and greasy bonfire roared up to dissuade them. Within it floated hundreds, if not thousands, of human and demon bones, and the flames were streaked with human fat. The reek was overpowering, and it caused both mages to vomit all over the floor.

"Alright then. That shall end my turn."

"Indeed. I draw!" As the card slipped off the top of the deck, another result followed. In the spot which had held the face down monster was now a triad of glowing coals, each surrounded by a pentagram of twigs.

"I see from the perplexed look on your face that you have noted my latest summoning. You see, the monster you destroyed was a creature known as Igneous Firebrand, and when he is destroyed by a card effect he summons three monsters in his wake during my draw phase, a trio of Charcoal Tokens, each with 500 attack and defense. However, they serve their purpose; during the end phase every turn of mine in which they are not alone on their field, my pieces of coal will deal you 100 points of damage per each remaining token. And it only gets worse. I move into my main phase, in which I'll activate the Magic card, Tremendous Fire, inflicting 1000 points of damage to you and 500 to me. But it's worth the price just to watch you squirm."

With this activation, another burn strike was initiated, this one a much grander display of a hailstorm of sulfur which scorched the field, searing both Yami and Renkotsu with its blaze. (Yami: 2500/Renkotsu: 3500)

"Looks to me like this will be over faster than I thought. At any rate, I'll place a monster in defense mode, and one card face down, and that shall end my turn."

And as per their effect, the 3 chunks of coal each sent out a jet of fire into Yami's eyes. (Yami: 2200/Renkotsu: 3500)

"I'm not defeated yet. I draw, and activate the Potion of Rebound Magic card, which allows me to draw three cards so long as my life points are lower than yours. Next, I'll play two of the Magic cards I drew, Token Call and Mage's Chain Breaker!"

With this, both of the mages summoned to them what looked like a platinum sledgehammer in their free hand, while the three Charcoal Tokens suddenly began to levitate in midair.

"I'm afraid that this duel is over, Renkotsu. The effect of Token Call switches every token with the same name into attack position, while Mage's Chain Breaker prevents any chaining during this turn if at least two magicians are on the field, so in essence I could end this in one blow right now."

But at this, Renkotsu grinned knowingly. He knew exactly what needed to be done.

"Is that so? Well, I'd rearrange that plan of yours, because I'm about to dismantle it! I activate the face down card, Gravity Bind!"

Outside the Seedy Restaurant

Enzeru did not know what to call it.

By stretches of fate and manipulations of the timeline that most would consider completely impossible, a city whose inhabitants had lost all memories of their past was now being slowly ripped to shreds by four lunatics, each with the political and martial bluster to conquer it all. However, none were taking any real action, just moving the pieces of their plans about like a perverted game of human chess, so it made them almost impossible to pinpoint exactly.

Luckily, he had worked under far worse circumstances in the past, but it didn't get much worse than this. The real issue was how to approach them all at once and still save the city from desolation. It was delicate beyond belief, and Enzeru was not sure if even the power of Time could stop them.

However, he would have to attempt it. Hiei, Vera, Dartz, and Naraku were all too dangerous to be allowed free rein of New Paradigm, given the dark secrets buried deep within it that the Citadel knew so very little about. It would not shock him terribly if there were other megadeii concealed therein, nor would it be a surprise to find that his opponents thought the same way, especially the psychotic journalist.

So then what was to be done until Hiei attempted to find him? Well, not much, apparently. He could perhaps go after a few more grunts, but there was only so much of an effect that could have. If he wanted to attract Hiei's attention, he would need to do something rather drastic, and a lack of knowledge regarding the enemy ruled out any such approach.

He would have to wait, and though he had quite a bit more patience than most, he could only sit on his hands for so long.

The sunlight was growing ever dimmer as Enzeru watched the skies. That it was not sunset already was an environmental factor in these high altitudes, but eventually, the sun would set. There was no way to avoid the setting, and even those at the very pinnacle of the city knew it.

_Father always compared the rise and setting of the sun to the life and death of all living things, calling it the natural order of light and dark. Life is born, traverses existence, and then returns to nothing, only to give rise to new life. And whenever he spoke of it, he would gain a strange emptiness in his eyes, as though he knew that his time was coming to a close…_

The Guardians of the Citadel were considered to be the most longevous of all mortals, the oldest wise men often exceeding five hundred years. However, each member of the Citadel also knew that they would eventually return to the soil, and whether and to what extent they accepted it varied with the Guardian. His father in particular was concerned with what was to become of him and his family, as was oft demonstrated as he watched the stars and moon go through their paths in the night. 

It was always ironic, in Enzeru's eyes, that the masters of Time should fear the end. For was not control of time the antithesis of death, the mastery of eternity, and the dominance over aging?

_I had only ever asked the question once, of mother when I was five. She cried for the remainder, and I didn't understand why, until later in life, when I saw true death-absolute death- for the first time…_

Just thinking about Akuren and his betrayal made Enzeru sick to his stomach. His evil transcended the sins of humans and demons, becoming darkness of itself, and all for power that would only destroy him. But then, they should have expected it, for as moral as he once was Akuren had still been a demon, and was thusly bound to his devilish roots. 

Each detail of that first encounter was emgrained in his memory: the bloody, shattered being whose face was an abomination of God, arms swinging aimlessly as he let fly screams of pain that breached the castle walls. Living shadows pumped their way out of his wounds and slowly ate him alive.

It was likely he would have died…had Enzeru's family not taken him into their arms and treated him as an equal. Soon afterwards he revealed his name to be Hogosha, a demon of pure heart who was cursed with the power of the dark by witches, and thus needed to find salvation.

Enzeru's grandfather had been more than willing to oblige, and after two years Hogosha was officially inducted into the Citadel.

It was unsure what had caused Hogosha's descent into madness; although most believed he had delved far too deep into the forbidden texts which housed the secrets of evil itself, Enzeru was convinced that it had been part of his plan the entire time. What was known for certain was that a few weeks after Enzeru had been declared a member of the Guardians, Hogosha, or Akuren as he now called himself, had gone mad with corrupted power. Using his demon aura and combining it with the dark magic he had found he slipped betwixt the enchanted walls with unnatural speed and agility, and from the safety of the walls he had slaughtered them all.

Luckily, Enzeru and several of the other Guardians had been in training that day, so Akuren had not been able to locate them. But when they had returned, there was a single message, spelled out in bones, blood, and entrails upon the door.

_The Time of Man has come to an end, and the reign of the Six Points of Anubis has begun. _

Even now, years after the mindless butchering of his family and friends, Enzeru had never been able to understand that gruesome prophecy. Nowhere in the archives of his family were there any references to anything called the Six Points of Anubis, and the few remaining members of his clan had assumed it was a hoax created by Akuren; he was a ninja, after all, a master of illusions and deceit. But he had doubted this was the case.

About a month before he went insane, Akuren had spoken at great length to some of the Guardians about a discovery he had made, and though Enzeru had heard little of it, he understood one thing of the conversations. From what he knew, Akuren had apparently found evidence of an ancient temple, hidden miles beneath the sands of Egypt, and that he had actually entered it.

What Akuren had not told anyone was what he found therein, and thusly did he suspect that the temple housed the secret of the Six Points. But what that secret was, and what Akuren now believed, was still a mystery to him, one he would have to solve…

But now was not the time for that. Akuren and his sociopathy was only one relatively minor component of a massive and overwhelming machine that was mere inches away from steamrolling the world, and in spite of the grudge he held he could not let that get in the way of his real duties.

He learned a long time ago that vendettas only made problems worse, and they prevented true justice from being exacted.

With that in mind, Enzeru decided to head outwards, and with any luck he would find what he was looking for. This was ironic, since to find it he would need the darkness to find him first.

As he moved forward, Enzeru began to pick up on a hostile presence only a few yards away from him. It might have been one of Hiei's grunts, but he could not be entirely sure on that.

However, one thing was certain: the approaching enemy was a duelist, and certainly an impressive one. If it was not Hiei or a soldier of his, then it clearly had been sent by a higher power in the city. At the least it would be a chance to try out his deck and execute its powers.

After a moment, the presence himself came within visual range, and despite having seen many strange and bizarrely dressed warriors, Enzeru had to admit this one took the cake. He was a relatively tall human, which was rather strange noting that Jagenshi and Naraku both detested humans with a passion, dressed in white clothing from the Feudal Era with an intricately decorated armor plate on the left shoulder. Upon his head was what seemed to be a four-pointed blue star, just below his black hair tied back into a lengthy topknot. But even that was not as peculiar as the weapon he had draped across his back, a massive halberd covered with a fabric sheath.

And in spite of the rather brainless expression on his face, his Duel Gauntlet was gleaming with the mark of skill.

"So, you're Enzeru, right? Figures a Guardian would try and interfere with my fun." The soldier's voice was indicative of a mind lacking, but he doubted this was the case.

"Not with yours, specifically. I'm after the head of your pathetic master, whomever he may be."

"You're not gonna find him looking around here, I can tell you that much. But since he did send me after you, I think it's time we have ourselves a little fun. Normally, I'd just lop off your head, but I'm itching to duel."

"Oh really? You had better prepare yourself, then. I do not intend to show you any mercy…Bankotsu of the Band of Seven."

"So you do know me? I'm flattered."

"Don't be. I know what you and Suikotsu did to my kin when you were still alive. And although I won't let my personal vendettas get involved, it will be a good thing to settle this feud once and for all."  
"So then let's stop talking and get to the real action!" (Enzeru: 4000/Bankotsu: 4000)

Brigade District

Joey Wheeler may have been a man of less than extraordinary mental capacities, but there was one thing he knew for certain: there was no relaxation to be found in a procession of empty lots lining the streets near a mall. He also knew that wandering halfway across a flying city run by four psychotics with unholy powers was the epitome of idiocy; oftentimes knowledge does not go hand in hand with wisdom.

His original plan had been to have a few duels, grab a quick bite, and then meet up with Yugi at the designated time. However, since he was only one duel away from the finals and he honestly had no idea where the hotel was anyway, that plan seemed to lose credibility. Besides, two new cards in his deck were begging for usage, and he would not deny them that…especially if it meant kicking ass in the process.

However, finding other duelists, especially in neighborhoods such as this, was not going to be easy. Most of the competitors of the Hellfire Tournament were prone to stay near the city center, since it was rather detached from the horrific cluster areas of criminal activity that New Paradigm's incompetent movements had formed. Only the bravest or most insane could be found here, and if history was any witness they were the most powerful as well, which proved very much to be a double-edged sword most of the time.

So I guess the question is, where do I find the last match? Most of the small fries were probably weeded out by now, meaning the only people left are even stronger. It's like Duelist Kingdom again; only difference is I'm top of da heap.

Yes, even by himself Joey was an egomaniac. 

His steps fell silent upon the asphalt as he moved along. No one else was here, except perhaps the residential shutins that made up the bulk of the population. For the most part he was absolutely isolated, and this resulted in something of an eerie calm. He was not sure why or how, but the hair on his arms was standing upon end.

_Eh, it's probably nothing to worry about._

Indeed, there was nothing he could see that would indicate any danger, apart from the setting sun, whose absence would bring forth the real psychotics, but it was not something he was unused to. Life had always been thus where he grew up, after all, and he knew how to handle it. However, one thing he didn't know how to handle was this tournament… 

It wasn't the duels that unnerved him; hanging around with Yugi Mouto almost guaranteed being sucked into crazy and quite supernatural matches. No, it was a much deeper set fear than that, a sort of foreboding of events to pass that made Joey feel like this was the last. For whatever reason, he felt like this tournament, these duels, were the most important of all, as if everything they had worked for came down to this. He couldn't begin to understand how this battle was more important than Duelist Kingdom or Battle City, and yet somehow…he knew.

The whole thing did not come out to any pretty sum, and they were all caught in the bad calculations.

Time seemed to fall into a sort of rut whilst Joey kept walking, and by now boredom was starting to creep in. The sound of his footsteps was like the dripping of a faucet, a faucet he had always loathed. Boredom always treated him such, but in this hellhole the effect was magnified. So then what was to be done?

It would not be too long after that Joey laughed at the question.

A good distance away from him, the thug turned duelist heard the roar of a small motorcycle, which was actually pretty interesting because heavy traffic was expressively forbidden in the city. He didn't know what to make of it, but he supposed weirder things had happened, here and elsewhere, and with a slight breach in monotony he continued.

However, so did the motorcycle.

He didn't really think much of it, as was his way. Odds are it was just some rich stiff who could get away with it, and if someone was after his head he would be a lot less subtle than that. And so he moved forward.

Joey did not give the vehicle much thought after that, until he felt his skin crawl ever so slightly. His nerves instantly rose to greet the confrontation he knew was coming, and on a subconscious level his inner duelist geared for the opposition. It was an eerie sensation, but one he had learned to trust in his conflicts with the Shadow Realm and other, darker, entities, and he was pretty sure this fit into the second category.

However, as he turned to face this opponent, he suddenly felt a second chill run down his spine, from at least two different directions. It was a rare feeling nowadays, but he had known it quite well in his old gang and the fights they would take partin.

_Three duelists at once, huh? This should be fun._

It was then that he heard the footsteps to his right and left behind him. The ones coming from his left were fairly soft, like those of an assassin ready to strike, while the ones from his right were heavy, as though the man was wearing armor.

The freak show had quite clearly come to town.

"You must be the idiot they call Wheeler." Opening the floor to the duel was a chilling voice, a horrific combination of war veteran and mental patient personas. "He certainly looks dumb enough, doesn't he?"

"Looks can be deceiving, Suikotsu." The other voice was deep and rather garbled, as though the enemy was speaking through a piece of metal. "However, you do make a valid point. I doubt this will be any more difficult than our last few duels."

"Now wait just a minute! I did _not_ hear you just diss my…skills…"

Joey made two rather large mistakes at that moment: igniting into a fit of rage, and turning around altogether.

Before his very eyes now stood two of the most terrifying warriors he had ever laid eyes upon. The first, apparently the man who had sounded deranged, was a hulking figure of a warrior garbed in clothing and armor of varying shades of black, blue, and green, with what seemed to be green warpaint on his face. His greasy black hair stood on end in a way that was all too similar to Yami no Marik's for comfort, and his bloodshot eyes did not indicate he had any more mercy than that wicked spirit. The man's weapons of choice, razor sharp claws which he held with the skill of a master, did nothing to dispel Joey's fear.

The second of the pair was no less intimidating, but for different reasons altogether. Clad completely in massive armor which seemed to be a contemporary version of that worn by samurai, he towered over the first at a height of nine feet and had what might have been a massive axe strapped to his back. Even with the armor one could tell he had trained himself long and hard, but nothing else could be determined of him. His helm completely disguised his face, creating an enigmatic quality that was just as frightening as the assassin's madness.

Both men had Duel Gauntlets, and both were at a level of skill that made Weevil's Gauntlet look like ashes.

"So who are you goons? A pair of Hiei's boys, right?"

"In a manner of speaking," rumbled the giant. "We're more like his exterminators, sent by one of his flunkies to weed out the weak and pathetic. Granted, this particular assignment wasn't from the top, but the fact remains."

"Whaddya mean it wasn't from the top! And what's this whole 'weak and pathetic' shtick!"

"Apparently this job was from our go-between to Hiei. We'd rather keep names to ourselves, but you must have annoyed him somehow. However, since we are being paid a rather hefty bounty for the job anyway, Suikotsu and I decided to go along with it."

"Well, if you think this is gonna be easy money, you're dead wrong! I finished second at Duelist Kingdom…"

"…and fourth in Battle City. Yes, Wheeler, we're rather familiar with your dueling history, and don't expect us to be frightened of it. You slay enough people, you start to see through empty threats." The assassin, Suikotsu, unlike the "samurai", seemed to be a bit more anxious to duel. "I can name at least ten people off the top of my head that gave me the same speech before I scooped out their hearts, so don't try to pull it on me."

Joey was not making any such attempt, of course, but it did not make a damn bit of difference.

"Oh yeah? Then let's see you back it up, greaser. You and me, right 'ere in da street!"

Suikotsu's beady eyes flared at this, and activated his Gauntlet. "Alright, Wheeler, if you're going to insist on making a fool of yourself, go right ahead. However, you have to comply with one request of mine."

"Just name it."

"It's simple enough: you're going to have to duel Bui as well."

"Duel who?"

And at that question, the titan in armor, presumably Bui, stepped forth.

"Since you're so confident in your skills, we've decided to make things a bit more balanced. This will be a two on one match, winner takes all, and I do mean all."

"So in other words…dis is a life or death duel…"

"Kid isn't as dumb as I thought, is he? Now, let's begin, and if you have any intent on running away from this, I shall personally dissect you."

It was all too clear that Suikotsu was serious, and as this dawned on Joey, he felt his blood move in the opposite direction. But then, it wasn't as though this sort of thing hadn't happened before…

He knew it was a horrible idea, likely the worst he had ever had. And yet, that was Joey, prideful to the bitter end.

"Ok, you've got yourselves a two on one!"

In the back of his head, Joey's small but influential logic was screeching a number of obscenities at the majority, focuses ranging from the skill of his opponents to the fact that he was alone. Yet it did not make any difference. It would all come together, as it had in the past.

Fate seemed to give little regard to logic in general as well, and within the following seconds this was proven .

"So, are you two clowns ready to get your asses kicked?"

Joey had already slipped his deck into the slot; it was obvious that the astronomical odds against his victory had not occurred to him just yet, but that would not last long.

"I'd start making your final wishes before making final threats, Wheeler."

Suikotsu and Bui, having also loaded their Gauntlets, stood at the ready. The tension was unbearable, for not only was Joey's entrance to the finals on the line, but so was his life.

It is under these circumstances that men often consider the most trivial things, which was why Joey suddenly realized that the motorcycle had finally stopped a few feet behind him.

"Hey, if it isn't Joey Wheeler! I was just looking for ya."

He would recognize that voice anywhere, thanks to a series of rather unpleasant circumstances he would just as soon forgot. And looking behind him proved once again to confirm the worst

"Varon! What the hell are you doin' here!"

The brown-haired felon stepped into Joey's immediate sight, bearing as always that smug egotism on his visage; the only major variation on his person was the shift in dueling gear from a DOOM Duel Disk to a white Duel Gauntlet.

"Eh, I've been around. Figured since we were both in the biggest dueling tournament ever held in a floating city, I'd try to find you. And since we never did finish our duel back in America…"

"You're kidding me, right? Last I checked, I crushed you and your sorry ass armor, and as far as I know our grudge match is settled."

"Not even close, Wheeler. If you thought I'd stop trying to beat you after one duel, than you're just as stupid as I always thought."

"Watch yourself, tin man, or I'll whip you all over again…"

It was no idle threat. After the hell Varon had put him through previously, Joey would have no problem with humilating him a second time.

"Alright, if that's the way you want it, I'm game. In fact, let's make this real interesting. You two are part of Hiei's gang, right? Well, as it happens I'm after his head, too."

Bui, understanding the proposition exactly and fully aware of who Varon himself worked for, nodded slightly.

"Very well, then, Varon, you've got a deal. Suikotsu, it seems we're going to be having a split team assault duel instead."

"I've handled worse."

"Then it's settled." Varon could not help but grin to himself at the thought. Three victories in one duel; it wasn't too often he could pull that one off. "So are you ready, Wheeler? Knowing you, this is the first time that you've played this…"

"I saw one once. We both duel each other, along with Suikotsu and Bui as a team, right?"

"Good to see you're with us. But knowing what to do is only half the battle; you're about to see that playing such a game is an entirely different story!" (Joey: 4000/ Varon: 4000 (Bui: 4000/ Suikotsu: 4000))

Hallway outside Yami's Hotel Room

"What is it with you, bitch? That's two men you took from me, and you don't even know me that well. And I'll be frank, you aren't exactly a prize, even as far as women go in general, so it doesn't really add up. Why are you such a hot ticket item?"

"Hot ticket item!"

"But then, it's not horribly shocking, seeing as you tramp around dressed like some slutty schoolgirl all day. Guys always want something like that."

Kagome had been called a lot of things in her life she did not appreciate, most of them extraordinarily vulgar, but being called a whore was not one she was going to take lying down.

"You'd better take that back, Jakotsu!"

The transvestite sneered in disdain at this. He was obviously not impressed.

"Kagome, I've died twice already. A third time won't bug me too much. Besides, there's not much you can do to me in the first place. You're just a damsel in distress who got lucky with a Duel Monsters deck; you can't beat me. That's gonna be Yami's job."

Another perverse grin crossed his features as he slipped his deck into the Gauntlet, and Kagome felt her blood begin to boil. He was trying to annoy her, and it was working like a charm.

"You can't have him; he's mine now, and you won't take him from my arms."

"Possessive much? Jeez, no wonder he wants Kikyo so badly; it's amazing he didn't just send you to that Shadow Realm Bankotsu's always going on about."

Now, in all honesty Jakotsu was not a particularly bright man, which many accredit to his perpetual lustiness and lack of formal education. So it is no great shock that he would often cross lines he shouldn't cross.

This just happened to be the biggest one of all.

"What…did…you…just…say?"

"Again with the jealousy, huh?"

"I swear to God, Jakotsu, if you EVER say that again, I'll make it so that not even the Shikon no Tama can ressurrect you."

Even from that distance, the mercenary could see the change in Kagome's entire persona. Where once was adolescent covetousness now stood raw and unerring hatred-a cold fury that was all too often released upon the poor fool who had released it in the first place. At the least, it would make things more interesting, but Jakotsu knew that he might have put himself in more danger than he could handle.

Nah, it's just some teenage prostitute throwing a tantrum because I'm moving in on her meal ticket. I'll whip her easy, and then, it's on to my beloved Pharaoh!

One could almost see stars in his eyes as he considered what he would do, the entirety of which is far too disgusting for words. However, this much can be said: experimentalism was a rather prevalent theme.

"So then, are you ready to duel for him, Kagome?"

"I would die for him, Jakotsu, more than you would do." (Kagome: 4000/Jakotsu: 4000)

"Since I'm being challenged here, I'll open the duel!" Having drawn her cards, Kagome could see this would be slightly easier than her duel with the spirit, but not by any great margin. "I'll start by placing a card face down, and then I'll summon Pluto, the Angel of Prosperity, in attack mode!" The first monster summoned was a smallish angel with periwinkle flesh, golden-colored eyes, wings, and robes, and copper-colored hair, who was apparently sitting on top of a pair of brass scales. (1500/700) "That should be enough for the moment, so I'll end my turn."

"You know, you're not an angel. But I guess I'm gonna have to prove it to you. My move!" _Hey, not too bad. This should make the bitch squirm for a while._ "I summon Axe Raider to the field in attack mode!" Jakotsu's first monster was surprisingly weak for an opening move, but the image that creature invoked was impressive enough. Towering over Kagome's angel was a massive, red-armored soldier with a two-bladed hatchet in his left hand. (1700/1150) "Sadly, he's all but useless, so as is the way of many, I'll just have to trade him in for a better man, which is exactly what this card lets me do! I play Tribute Doll, which lets me sacrifice a monster on my side of the field to summon a level seven monster from my hand. So bye-bye Axe Raider, hello Scythe Master Arikotsu!"

As he said this, the soldier of the axe instantly vanished from the field, and in his stead emerged a second warrior, this time a thin, almost wraith-like figure draped in form-fitting grey samurai armor, equipped with a medium-sized scythe in each hand. (1900/2100) "You're probably wondering why such a high-leveled monster is so weak, but I won't go into that at the moment. So I'll place a card face down, and end my turn." _Damn Tribute Doll effect…_

"My move again, Jakotsu, and I'll use Pluto's effect to draw an extra card this turn. Next, I'll use his other special ability, to special summon an Angel monster from my hand if Pluto is alone on the field, so in this case I'll summon Yuki-Judge of Spirit, in attack mode!" With a one-handed motion from Pluto, Kagome was easily able to summon her next monster, a seemingly kind-hearted red-headed angel in mauve robes, with similarly colored pinions. (2200/2500) "Finally, I'll summon Yuken-Judge of Mortality in attack mode!" The next monster was far different from the other angels, for unlike his seraphin bretheren this angel was dressed in blue denim jeans and a black tee-shirt, with ratty sneakers and slightly greasy green hair that hung loosely over one eye. In fact, there were only two things that would separate him from any other normal person: the fact that he had a pair of dullish white wings on his back, and the rather contemplative look in the eye that was visible. (1800/1800) 

"I'm not even close to done yet. Next, I'll equip Yuki with Cestus of Dagla, increasing her attack by 500 points and increasing my life points by the amount you would lose in battle!" Where once were empty hands now stood arc-shaped blades of ethereal gold, enhancing the already impressive force Yuki controlled. (2700/2500) "And now, it's time to put you in your place! Yuki, destroy his Scythe Master!"

In a delicate combination of grace and power did the Judge of Spirit charge her opponent, cestus' swirling in a dance of power not often seen in this modern day. It was an eerily beautiful testament to days long gone, where strength and art were bound together. But with any luck, such times were back on the rise.

Jakotsu, an avid believer in such concepts, would not be struck down by them.

"Sorry, princess, but that's not gonna work on me! Reveal face down card, Kiss of the Fallen! In exchange for removing a Warrior monster in my graveyard, I can negate the attack of any monsters whose attack is higher than the removed monster!"

"You know, you've got one sick mind…"

"It's the sickos that get the most action, I like to think."

In what was considered to be the bizarre hologram involving warriors in the entire game, the master of the sickle stood before the charging angel, weapons at the ready…but instead of stopping the attack with his own, he instead blew a kiss to his opponent, causing the devout one to reel back in disgust.

"Luckily for me, the only monster unaffected by the card is a monster who can't attack me anyway, so that works out. Anything else for the moment?"

Beneath her breath, Kagome let out a small growl of frustration. Normally this wouldn't happen to her, so then why was this the case now?

"Fine, I'll place one card face down, and switch Pluto into defense mode. That will end my turn."

As she said thus, Pluto cringed slightly behind her scales, and a holographic card materialized behind her.

"Please don't tell me that's all you've got. Anyway, I draw, and activate the Magic card, United We Stand, to increase the attack and defense of my Scythe Master by 800 points for every monster on my side of the field." (2700/2900) "Next, I'll summon Warrior Dai Grepher to the field in attack mode, thus giving Arikotsu an extra 800 points!" To Arikotsu's right now was called a second warrior, a thickly sinewed swordsman dressed in a bizarre leather outfit. (1700/1600) At the same time, Arikotsu's power increased thanks to the power of unity. (3500/3700) "And now, I'm afraid it's time I ended this duel, Kagome. You see, there's a reason my monster has only 1900 attack points at start, and a very good reason it is: all I have to do is pay 1000 life points, and my monster, so long as it is the only monster that can attack this turn, can attack every single one of your monsters at once!" (Kagome: 4000/ Jakotsu: 3000)

Kagome's hands went chalk pale as she ran through the numbers. Even with her poor mathematical skills, she could tell it would be more than enough to finish her off.

"Wow, you really aren't good at this game, are you? Arikotsu, strike her down!"

With one thought in mind, Arikotsu lifted both scythes, and hurled them in opposite directions, each one moving in its own arc, but both set into paths that would behead Kagome's monsters…

Kaiba vs. Mukotsu

"Well, this is certainly going to be a treat. Usually I never get to duel anyone with real skill, but it seems that my toxic talents will be put to use on a most impressive specimen. And since I am making the challenge, I shall begin."_ Ah, a fortuitous opening hand, one that would make Bankotsu himself tremble. Let us see if Kaiba can withstand it._

"I shall start by placing three cards face down, and a monster in defense mode. That shall end my turn." 

After only a minute of looking at the poison master's attack plan, it was all Kaiba could do not to laugh.

"Surely you jest, Mukotsu. Is this what you call an opening move, some measly defenses and a line of traps? Don't insult me with this drivel."

"Then what are you waiting for, Kaiba? If you are so sure of yourself, then why not attack?"

"I'm confident, not stupid. My move!" Kaiba once again drew out his hand, and out of habit took a quick scan of it. As much as he had scorned the poison wielder, he also knew that running headlong into Mukotsu's lines would be suicide; it had happened before. So he would have to take a different approach, and luckily, he had one such option at hand.

"You'd better start praying, Mukotsu, presuming you have a deity to begin with! I summon Vorse Raider to the field in attack mode, and then I play the Magic card, Heavy Storm, which shall demolish every single Magic and Trap card on the field!"

At this, a massive tempest emerged from out of nowhere, knocking bottles of rather expensive liquor all over the place and upturning chairs. Even Pegasus had to admit this was a bit much. The card did have its usefulness, though, such as the demolition of all of Mukotsu's face down cards.

By a stroke of poor luck, however, this was exactly what Mukotsu had desired.

"My gratitude knows no bounds, Kaiba. By destroying my face down cards, you've allowed me to activate their effects. Firstly is a card known as Limpet Nerve Gas; when it's sent from the field to the graveyard, I can deal you 1000 life points of direct damage. Second, you destroyed two cards known as Statue of the Wicked Trap cards, and when they are destroyed I can summon a Wicked Token to the field for each one."

Once the winds had cleared, Kaiba noticed that all three cards had indeed activated, and in place of the cards were now two living statues of heathen gods, along with what looked to be a crystal land mine, which released a stream of toxic gas into his mouth. Even as a hologram it tasted bitter. (Kaiba: 3000/ Mukotsu: 4000) (1000/1000) x2

"Not too bad. It seems you're better at this game than I thought, but it still makes no difference to me. Next, I activate the Magic card, Double Attack, discarding a monster with a higher level than my Vorse Raider to give him the power to attack twice during this turn, so I'll discard my Kaiser Glider to do the job! And I still have one more move to make: I activate Monster Reborn to revive Kaiser Glider!"

Once again did the sign of life emerge, drawing from itself the golden dragon of the sky. (2400/2200) "And now it's time to show you the fear of God! Vorse Raider, eliminate his statues, and Kaiser Glider, go after his face down monster!"

The bloodthirsty monstrosity jumped into the air and lighted next to the first statue, impaling and shattering it with his main weapon, whereupon he hurled his axe into the skull of the other monster. At the same time, the gryphon let fly a solid orb of flame into the heart of the final monster, revealed to be an ancient Arabian jar with a venom green cobra inside. The pot was shattered into oblivion, but the serpent remained.

"Again, I give you my utmost thanks. Your monster has just destroyed Cobra Jar, whose effect lets me summon another token, a Poisonous Snake Token, in attack or defense mode, and when it is destroyed you will lose 500 life points!" (1200/1200)

"Well, that certainly won't make much of a difference, will it? I've faced Burn decks before, Mukotsu, and against me they generally don't last long. So I'll place one card face down to end my turn."

Mukotsu, at this, gave out a rather unnerving chuckle as he drew.

"That's where you're wrong, Kaiba. I do not have a Burn deck; that is my brother Renkotsu's skill. My deck is far worse, and I'm about to show you! I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two cards from my deck. Next, I'll play one of the cards I drew known as Poison of the Old Man, which allows me to either inflict 800 points of damage to you, or gain 1200 points, and I think you know my plan this time!"

Before Mukotsu appeared two vials, one with a green potion, and the other with a purple chemical. In this case, he hurled the first one directly at Kaiba, searing his flesh in an illusory way. (Kaiba: 2200/ Mukotsu: 4000) "Next, I'll summon Poison Soldier to the field in attack mode!" Mukotsu's next monster was indeed a warrior of some effect, a deep purple, humanoid demon clad in a haz-mat suit and armed with a tranquilizer gun. (1900/200) "And because my Poison Soldier was summoned in the same turn as Poison of the Old Man was played, you lose 200 life points!" The marksman of Mukotsu's field leveled his rifle against Kaiba and fired, inflicting a small wound into which toxins poured. (Kaiba: 2000/ Mukotsu: 4000) "That seems to be enough punishment for you at the moment, so I'll place one card face down to end my turn."

By this point, the normally calm and collected businessman was beginning to panic. It was far too early into the duel for him to have lost half of his life points; whoever he was, he had learned from the best of the best. However, he also knew that such decks were often fraught with weakness, and he would have to find one soon if he was going to survive.

"I'm far from done yet! I activate the Magic card, Fissure, which lets me destroy one of your monsters with the lowest attack, and since your Poisonous Snake Token's effect only activates as a result of battle, I won't lose any life points!" The ground beneath the token gave way, sending it into oblivion. "Next, I activate the Card of Sanctity Magic card, allowing us each to draw until we both have six cards in our hands. From this, I activate Rejuvenating Draught, which allows me to increase my life points by an amount equal to half of what I lost last turn, plus an extra 300, for a grand total of 800 new life points!"

In Kaiba's left hand was a single flask made out of a gossamer crystal thread, which contained a rich, full-bodied mead which he partook of, revitalizing his body and soul. (Kaiba: 2800/ Mukotsu: 4000) "And don't think even for an instant that my turn is done. Next, I'll sacrifice Vorse Raider to summon Emerald Dragon to the field in attack mode!"

Kaiba's man beast, as was the fate of all such monsters, was sent into the void, in exchange for a new creature, a grandiose dragon which seemed to be hewn of the emeralds of the mountains. (2400/1500)

"Now I'll activate Dark Core, discarding a card from my hand to remove your last monster from play, and finally, I'll play Completion of the Arc, which lets me revive any monster discarded for an effect, which is in this case my Cybernetic Brigadier, with an attack and defense increase of 400!"

In that one move, two separate events took place, the first being the poisonous hunter being extracted from the game, and the second being an arch of electricity drawing out Kaiba's discarded monster, what looked like a tall human draped in a copper and diamond mechanical suit, armed with a rocket launcher and five grenades. (2750/2200)

"Of course, thanks to Completion of the Arc, I cannot enter my battle phase, so I'll just place my last card face down and end my turn."

It was indeed an impressive duel, from what Pegasus and Botan could see; it was only a few turns into it, and both were opening up everything they had.

"Rip him to shreds, baby!"

Botan's cheers had by this point begun to annoy the older man, and thusly did he order another scotch. But in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter.

_Once Mukotsu draws out the card I slipped into his deck, Kaiba-boy will be done for good…_

Alleyway where we left Inuyasha

"Tea…what was that thing I played? I mean, I activated the Seal, and the next thing I know I blacked out…"

Honestly, Tea could not tell him, for she did not really know herself what the Orichalcos truly was. She knew vaguely that it was a substance formed purely of the darkness of human hearts, but beyond that was a mystery, as it was to all save Dartz; what little she could tell him would not likely be of any use.

"I don't know. I guess it, well, I guess you could say, uh…"

She couldn't bring herself to say it. For whatever reason, she didn't want to tell him what the Seal did to people. Especially what it did to half-demons.

Inuyasha, of course, didn't understand what was going on in the first place, and normally would have pursued the matter further, but due to his current exhaustion he did not force the point. Besides, the less he heard about the Seal, the better. 

"Where'd that bastard go? We have to end this…"

With what would under the circumstances be considered a valiant attempt, Inuyasha attempted to get up from his position against the wall, but a sharp, widespread pain wracked his limbs and forced him back onto the ground. Clearly Raphael had done a number on him; even as a human his injuries had never hurt this much.

"Try not to move, alright, Inuyasha? You're badly hurt, too much to do anything too stressful right now." Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do for him with the supplies at hand; at present, the best she could accomplish was to keep him comfortable until she could figure out a true course of action.

Without much choice in the matter, the hanyou consented. He couldn't move enough anyway, and he could almost feel the life drain out of him when he tried to.

However, that did leave one question unanswered, one he hoped she would have the answer to.

"You were crying, weren't you?"

"Huh? No, I wasn't…"

"Don't lie to me, Tea. What happened in that duel?"

"I…I…I don't want to talk about it."

"Tea…"

"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!"

Inuyasha had been yelled at before, under varying circumstances and in many ways. But not once had anyone shrieked at him in the same manner as Tea did at that moment. In place of anger, annoyance, or delusion was now a deep-set fear, as though she was scared of what would happen if she told him.

She had seen his demon side.

"Tea, I'm sorry. That thing, that monster that dueled Raphael, that wasn't me."

"I know. It's just that…I've never seen that side of you before. The things you said and did…I thought you were actually going to kill me. I was so scared, trapped under the Seal, and I was absolutely sure…"

Tears were beginning to form again in her eyes as her lower lip trembled. Even the socially maladjusted demon knew what to do now. With what little strength he could muster he drew Tea close to him, desperate to never let her go. He knew that she was the only one he had left, the only one in the entire world who could keep him from slitting his own wrists at that very moment, and for all the demon power in the universe he would not release her warm body from his.

"I'll never let you out of my sight again."

It was almost surreal for Tea; in spite of the overbearing stench of blood and the still reverberating fear of his inner darkness, she could not help but feel enchanted by his touch. She knew that beneath the heart of the monstrous full demon was this person, this caring and brave, albeit obnoxious, person, whom she had fallen for without warning or logic.

But then, when did love ever announce or explain itself? It was like a storm in many ways; as a storm, love was violent at times, full of pain and misery, and yet at the same time it gave way to happiness and joy to those who could weather the worst of it. And this was clearly one of those moments to survive.

"Inuyasha, promise me something. Promise me that you will never use the Seal of Orichalcos again for as long as you live."

The demon did not have to give the decision a second thought.

"If giving up the Seal and its powers means that you're safe, I'll gladly surrender it."

"Thanks. In fact, let's make it official."

"Huh? You mean, like contract it out in blood or with a ritual sacrifice?"

At this dated response, Tea giggled, and then transitioned into a very sexy smile.

"No, silly. We have a saying in my family: when you want to make something official…"

And as she spoke, the dancer pressed her lips against his, letting the tip of her toungue dance across his for only an instant before she broke from him.

"…all you have to do is seal it with a kiss."

To Be Continued

I apologize for any length problems. But hey, an update's an update, right?

Anyway, next chapter continues the duels of Yusuke, Kagome, Yami, Kaiba, Joey, and Enzeru, while Inuyasha tries to find Raphael. Also, Roger and Angel mull over the fate of Paradigm.

Now, onto originals. All the original angels besides Pluto (White Mage's) belong to Time Mage. Renkotsu, Jakotsu, Mukotsu, Yami, Yusuke, and Kaiba all have original cards belonging to yours truly, and Sensui's original cards are supplied by Time Mage.

Anyway, on to Remix and Apocalypse! See ya then, and read/review!


	45. Madness and Blood! A Clash of Foreshadow

Disclaimer: Same as it ever was.

Anyway, once again we delve into the web of Force of Darkness, hear my cry. In our last dive, the infamous Band of Seven hit the scene, making strikes all across the field as Yami, Kagome, Kaiba, Enzeru, and Joey were challenged. To make matters worse, Joey not only has to face a member of the Band, but also the power of Bui. Luckily he has Varon in his corner, but how long can that last? Also, Yusuke and Sensui butted heads again, but where once their lives were on the line now lay their souls.

Now, in interest of time, Roger and Inuyasha's scenes will be held off for later. However, the duels you're about to see may just make up for that.

Chapter 44: Madness and Blood! A Clash of Foreshadowing Blades

Enzeru vs. Bankotsu

"So, who starts us off, Guardian?"

"I will, if you don't mind." The cards were once again drawn out, worn material familiar in the hands of the duelists. Bankotsu and Enzeru were both experts at the game, but with strategies that were polar opposites of each other, which would prove for an interesting bout indeed.

_Knowing Bankotsu, he's likely to go for an offensive strike at the start. Of course, this means I'll be able to draw him into my traps with greater ease._

"I'll start by placing a monster in defense mode, followed by one card face down. Next, I'll activate the Continuous Magic card, Tower of Time, to increase the attack of every one of my Spellcasters by 100 times their level." Already opening strong, Enzeru's first Magic was, as the name implied, a grandiose tower hewn of platinum and silver, inscribed with ancient runes from an era when time itself had no proper name, and yet was known by all as a presence that simply could not be defined or denied. "Your move."

"Thanks for the easy start. Now, watch out!" Bankotsu now drew, and upon seeing his latest monster he could not help but smirk.

"I summon Crusher Blader to the field in attack mode!" The mercenary's first creature was indeed a warrior as himself, a hulking mass of muscle barely contained beneath deep crimson plate armor. His helmet was stylized in a manner similar to that of his relative, Buster Blader, but his weapon of choice was apparently a club with a sword built into the top. (2300/1000)

"Not bad for an opening move, huh? Granted, Crusher can only attack if I discard a monster with the name Blader in my hand during my main phase, but that works out just fine. So I'll discard my Sniper Blader from my hand." With that, Bankotsu slipped said monster into the grave.

"But don't think I'm done yet. Next, I activate The Warrior Returning Alive, which will allow me to return one Warrior monster from my graveyard to my hand. And it gets better; when Sniper Blader is returned to my hand, I'm allowed to special summon him to the field!"

The instant he added the monster to his hand, Bankotsu slapped it onto the field, producing a second warrior of a similar type, only clad in forest green armor and armed with a sniper rifle attached with a short halberd on the butt end of the weapon. (2400/1200)

"Finally, I'll equip my Sniper Blader with Hunting Knife, increasing his attack by 500 points!" In the hunting warrior's left hand now emerged a terrible-looking hunting dagger, splattered with gobbets of blood from previous encounters. (2900/1200) "And now it's time to take a little more blood from your family! Crusher Blader, slice up his face down defense monster!"

With a roar that was indicative of ultimate defiance, the brutish soldier charged the defense with force greater than any other, and clove the face down monster in half…or so he thought.

At the moment of impact, the burly swordsman was forced back by a shield of bright golden energy which was generated by a second strongly built creature, a mage in bright white clothing. Upon his head was a shimmering halo, the source of his barrier. (500/2500) And once he was summoned, the effect of Tower of Time bestowed upon him its ancient grace. (900/2500)

"The monster you just attacked is known as Halo Magician, and when he is attacked by a monster with fewer attack points than his defense points, I can forgo the damage resulting from this attack to destroy your Crusher Blader!"

With this, the Halo Magician focused the energy of the barrier into a single point atop it's head, and fired it as a beam which incinerated the monster, leaving no trace at all of it ever existing.

"Doesn't matter to me one bit! Sniper Blader, it's your turn!"

A far more intelligent man than his brother, the Sniper Blader did not charge for a direct assault, but instead bolted off to the side and loaded his rifle. After a moment of judging the environment, the hunter lined up the Halo Magician's head in its crosshairs, waited for a minute, and then pulled the trigger.

However, before the bullet could find its target, what could only bedescribed as a circular glitch in the environment caused it to veer off course and into the ground.

"What!"

"You fell for it again, Bankotsu. Before your attack could fall, I played the Time Gyre Quick Play Magic card, negating your attack and giving me 200 times the level of your monster in life points." (Enzeru: 5200/ Bankotsu: 4000)

"Hey, you're not too bad, Guardian. But I don't think that's going to hold out much longer. So I'll place a card face down and end my turn."

"My move again." _Bankotsu's good, better than I expected. I think now would be a good time to get serious._

"Alright, I'll start by activating the Pot of Greed Magic card, to draw two cards. Next, it's time for you to see the crux point of my strategy. I activate Mystic Fount and Fountain of Dreams!"

In front of the Tower of Time now emerged two new Magic cards, the first being a marble basin filled with holy water, upon which danced hundreds of tiny points of light, and the second being an astounding fountain of the same material, whose water flowed from the top and circled back.

"Nice faucet, Guardian."

"It's more than a faucet. You see, when a monster or trap effect is activated, my Fountain grants a Magic counter to each monster on the field that can hold one. And in case some of the counters do not get placed, my Mystic Fount shall hold the rest. Next, I'll sacrifice my Halo Magician to summon Guardian of Time in attack mode!"

At that, the divine mage was sent into nothingness, to be replaced by an even greater creature, an older mage draped in robes of cerulean with a similarly colored stave. (2400/2500) Once again, the Tower granted the controller of the ebb and flow of time even greater force. (2900/2500) "And now, I activate the Continuous Magic card, Time of Peace, whose effect I will explain later. However, for the moment it's not the effect that interests me, but rather the activation."

"What's the activation got to do with anything?"

"When a Magic card is activated, my Guardian of Time is allowed to gain a Magic counter by his effect. And since my Fountain of Dreams is in play, he will gain a second counter for the activation of said effect!"

To Bankotsu's horror, a glowing orb of soul energy manifested itself in the Guardian's hand, joined by a second one from the fountain. "Now, I shall activate my Guardian's effect, discarding these two counters to destroy and remove one of your monsters from the game, and I'm going after your only monster, Sniper Blader!"

And with one sweep of his hand, the Guardian sent both counters towards the soldier, causing him to age and decay until even the armor had become dust. At the same time, the Fountain of Dreams activated again, granted the mage a second counter.

"Behold the power of Time, leader of the Band of Seven, a power that none can transcend. Even the dead fear its unequivocal strength, and you should be no exception."

Enzeru's threat had no effect on Bankotsu; if anything, it made him more confident.

"You don't get it, do you? I'm not afraid of Time or Death; what's the point of fighting something beyond your abilities? The way I see it, I'd rather die without any regrets than live with that cross to bear!"

"Such confidence won't save you. Guardian of Time, attack his life points directly!"

In a much different form of attack than had been previously used, the Guardian of Time soared into the air and sent a column of deep blue sorcery along the ground, forming a circle of energy about Bankotsu which contracted upon him, crushing the air out of his lungs and causing him to collapse. (Enzeru: 5200/ Bankotsu: 1100)

Bur even on his knees, Bankotsu smirked knowingly, as though the massive amount of damage had been expected.

"I activate the Quick Play Magic card, Blader Family Crest! You see, when I take an amount of damage that's over half of my life points during the same turn one of my Bladers is destroyed, I can draw cards equal to his level, along with two others! Granted, that monster has to be in the graveyard, so I'll only be able to draw six cards, but who's complaining?"

"Not bad. You were able to avoid giving my Fountain more counters for monster removal. However, since you're using a Blader deck, I doubt that's going to last much longer. At any rate, I'll place my last card face down to end my turn."

"Good point. So I guess I'm gonna have to make this quick."

Another card was drawn, one of Bankotsu's favorites.

"Hm. This is gonna be fun. I summon Messenger Blader to the field in attack mode, and when he's summoned I can special summon an Escort Blader from my hand to the field in attack mode!" Two other soldiers appeared simultaneously, an adolescent Blader with white armor and a light club in his right hand, and a massive Blader in black armor equipped with a war hammer. (1500/0) (1950/1000) At the same time, two more counters were granted to the Guardian of Time.

"Next, I'll play the Magic card, Blader Knighting, which allows me to sacrifice a Blader on my side of the field and then summon another Blader from my deck, so long as that monster cannot attack this turn; that is, unless that monster is sent to the graveyard and special summoned. So I'll sacrifice my Escort Blader to summon the leader of his tribe, and my personal favorite monster, the one and only Buster Blader!"

As the effect of the Magic activated, the youthful blade wielder knelt before his bodyguard, who in turn performed the knighting ceremony of their people, which consisted of slicing a pentagram into the armor and then carving a crucifix into the helmet. Upon enacting this ritual, the messenger himself stood, and in an instant was replaced by a golden beam of light.

And from this beam emerged the leader of the Blader clan, the purple armored dragon slayer whose sword had cloven into a thousand human and a thousand dragons, a record matched only by Bankotsu's own weapon, Banryu. (2600/2100)

"Impressive. But there's one thing you've forgotten. Thanks to your activation of Blader Knighting, my Guardian of Time gains two more counters, meaning that in my next turn I can remove your warriors and end this duel."

"Not really; you see, my Escort Blader has a special ability of his own. When Messenger Blader is sent to the graveyard, my monster gains 1000 extra attack points, thus giving you two more counters." (2950/1000)

"However, you're not going to be able to use those counters, especially after I activate the most devastating power up card for Blader monsters. I play the Continuous Magic card, Blader Baptism!"

Yusuke vs. Sensui

"Things have changed a lot since we last met, Yusuke. My powers have been retrofitted, altered exactly for this final confrontation, and now you shall experience the instrumentality of that power!"

To Yusuke's surprise and horror, the gem attached to Sensui's hand began to pulse with a tremendous aura unlike anything he had faced before. It seemed to merge with the spiritual power he had possessed going into the duel.

And then he realized what was going on. The energy from the gem was not born of itself.

"It's that Magic card…"

"Good to see you're catching up. Now, rise, my Seal!"

With a sweep of his hand, Sensui placed the Field Magic into the slot, allowing the initial connection to run through his blood. It would all end right here and now, and soon the spirit detective who had replaced him would see that.

The instant the card was activated, both duelists felt a light chill upon their arms. In spite of all they had seen, the Seal represented a darkness far beyond that of petty demons, a darkness that was only augmented by what happened next.

For from the skies themselves emerged a most sacriligious halo of iridescent green, apparently rotating as it descended upon the field. It seemed to be born of a primal force that existed long before either of them, and also had a similar energy signature to Sensui's decoration.

"This is my ultimate Magic card, Yusuke. As you can clearly see, I'm not going to hold anything back today."

"As if I'd want you to."

"Oh, you will. Before the duel is done, you shall know the true meaning of fear! You see, the Seal of Orichalcos offers me the ability to power up my monster's by 500 points, and grants me extra field space. However, when one of us loses, that duelist shall forfeit his soul!"

"Boo fricken' hoo, Sensui. I've died before; I know the rap well enough."

"Your arrogance speaks otherwise. Death is fleeting; incarceration in here is eternal!"

Once those words of doom were uttered, the Seal had assimilated itself onto the field, as well as on Sensui's forehead, resulting in an even more disgusting grin than before.

"Now, my Templars, take upon yourselves the power of the Seal!"

At that instant, each warrior of God was set upon by the evil of the Orichalcos, possessing them with a fervor of bloodlust. (3050/2700) (2700/2500) (2200/1900)

"I'm far from done. Next, I'll activate the Magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon, to eradicate your pathetic Homage of Chi card!" From behind the duelist emerged a column of wind which demolished Yusuke's temple, leaving nothing but rubble and scattered incense. "And now that your lock has been disabled, I can go on the offensive, but before I do that I'll place one card face down. Now, Templar Cavalier, attack one of his Spirit Dolls!"

The horseman was the first to charge, as it often was in life, and with one summoning of power he was able to punch through the fragile paper spirit, causing it to dissolve into oblivion.

"Now, Templar Axewielder, demolish his final monster!"

This time it was the hatchet master's turn to charge the heathen creature, axe raised above his head so as to cleave into it. But as he was about to strike, the spirit doll vanished into thin air once again.

"No dice, Sensui. I activate the face down card, Phantasm Swarm! This trap card allows me to remove a Spirit monster in my graveyard from play to negate your attacks during the turn another monster of mine was destroyed! And that's not all that's gonna happen; because Homage of Chi was sent to the graveyard in the same turn as a Spirit monster was removed from play, I can increase my life points by 100 times the level of that monster!"

Having played his cards well, Yusuke could sit back and enjoy the show of the three fallen Templars rearing back in terror as a hail of demon ghosts raced towards them from beyond the grave. Phantom blood flowed from their fangs and claws, creating for quite a terrifying herd of apparitions, which was exactly the point. And just as quickly as they had come, the spirits vanished, while a light drizzle of gold and silver rain poured onto Yusuke's deck. (Yusuke: 3600/ Sensui: 4000)

"Not bad, Yusuke. But I'm far from done, so you can take your turn."

"About damn time. I draw!" Of course, with only two cards in his hand and his lock broken, the spirit detective was not in any great position to be crass.

"Ok, I'll just place this monster into defense mode and activate the Magic card, Spirit World Treasure! All I have to do is sacrifice a Spirit monster on my side of the field, and I can draw three cards from my deck, so I'll ditch my face down Shikikami." With a motion the doll was removed, soon replaced by a new hand. "I'll then set two cards to wrap it up."

"Thank you. Now it's my move again! I activate the Magic card, Rank Reversal; this allows me to exchange one monster on my side of the field with one in my hand of the same level and attribute, so I shall use it to swap my Templar Sword Master for Templar Warlord!"

The swordsman of the group was instantly replaced by a new monster, another mounted warrior dressed in a ceremonial golden form of the Templar armor and equipped with a crystal and silver scepter. (3200/1500)

"You're done! Templar Cavalier, attack his life points directly!"

Another charge from the horseman, and it was becoming obvious that his frustration was mounting in his eyes. He had grown tired of this constant negation and recircling of attacks, a sentiment that Sensui was beginning to sympathize with.

Yusuke didn't notice, of course, so he had no problem with pushing the envelope further.

"I activate my face down card, Shamanic Prophecy, which lets me look at the top card of my deck, and if it's a Spirit monster I can normal summon it to the field!"

"Bah, what does that matter? I can always use my Templar Axewielder's ability to destroy any defense you set!"

"I don't think you get my plan, Sensui, so if you could stop blowing smoke out of your ass I can tell you. Remember, I have another card face down as well, so I chain the Quick Play Magic card known as Divination from Beyond the Grave to the activation of Shamanic Prophecy! When activated, Divination lets me place a monster from my graveyard onto the top of my deck, so unless that decoration gave you a tumor, you know what's coming."

_No!_

After placing his monster on top of the deck, it did not take Yusuke long to see what it was.

"I summon Hino Kagu-Tsuchi to the field in attack mode! But don't think I'm done yet. Because a Spirit monster was summoned, I can discard the Spirit Forgemaster in my hand to negate any effects levied against that monster this turn! Not bad for a follow-up detective, if I do say so myself."

Sensui did not have to look on as the Cavalier charged headfirst into the reborn fire spirit; he had planned for this, in case something went wrong.

"I activate the ability of my Templar Warlord, which lets me skip his attack during this turn; in exchange, I can prevent the destruction of my Templars during this turn! He also has another ability, but thanks to Spirit Forgemaster I cannot use it."

Those words triggered the effect of the warlord, who in turn hurled his scepter between the Cavalier and the spirit, creating a barrier of sorts which broke the attack and saved the monster.

"An impressive move, Yusuke. Had I not had the foresight to summon my Templar Warlord my monster would surely have been bested. However, you have forgotten one detail: when my turn ends Hino Kagu-Tsuchi shall return to your hand, leaving you wide open for a direct attack from my empowered Templars. So unless you can draw a miracle card in your next turn, the duel is mine."

"That's exactly what I intend to do, so you can end your turn if you want."

"Your move, Yusuke, and you had better pray it's a good one."

And with that, the fire apparition returned to the detective's hand, waiting to be called again. However, that was not what Yusuke intended to do at all…for the moment.

"I draw!" _Hey, this could work. _"I summon Yata-Garasu again to the field in attack mode, and then I'll activate the Spell Mirror Magic card, paying 500 life points to activate Spirit World Treasure again!" (Yusuke: 3100/ Sensui: 4000)

The spirit crow was summoned again, but just as quickly vanished into midair as a result of his master's Magic card, and the result was just as he had hoped.

"Next, I'll activate Pot of Greed, to draw two cards." Another extra draw, and it too had proven worthwhile.

"You know, it just ocurred to me that your Templar's effects are a lot like your fighting style. It's powerful and generally weakening most of the time, but unless you're the one attacking it doesn't mean shit, and I'm about to prove it. I activate the Continuous Magic card, Spiritual Energy Settlement Machine!"

With one sweep of his hand, Yusuke slipped one of his cards into the graveyard so as to activate one of his superior Magic cards. Even Sensui knew what this meant: the delinquent was about to go on the offensive.

"I'm not through by a long shot. Next, I'll play Reign of the Medium, reviving the Hino Kagu-Tsuchi I just discarded and allowing other Spirit monsters to be special summoned as long as it stays in play. And while I'm at it, I'll equip him with Spirit Hatchet, increasing his attack points by 600."

In a flare of spiritual energy, the fire spirit was reborn, armed with an axe that seemed to be hewn of silver ectoplasm. (3400/2900)

The elder detective, however, was not impressed.

"You seem to have forgotten my other monsters, Yusuke. Impressive as the spirit is, it will crumble to their other effects on my next turn, leaving you defenseless against the Seal and all the powers it affords me."

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask you about that, but you're starting to piss me off. So I'll just go through with this plan instead. I activate Spirit Wave!"

The very sound of those words sent shivers down Sensui's neck. Being involved with Spirit World for years meant that he had heard of every spirit technique in existence, and this was one of the deadlier ones.

"Ok, here's how it works. Spirit Wave is basically a Diffusion Wave Motion for Spirit monsters; after paying 1000 I select a level 7 or higher Spirit monster on my side of the field, and it can attack all of your monsters at once. And like Diffusion Wave, it shorts out all of your monster effects, but luckily not my own." (Yusuke: 2100/ Sensui: 4000)

He knew what this meant. If Yusuke's attack landed, the spirit's effect would level his hand…

"You're not looking so good, so maybe I should remedy that for you! Hino Kagu-Tsuchi, attack all of his monsters!"

At this, the apparition went into a stance not dissimilar to that used by Genkai during her usage of the battle technique, and focused all of his energy into the axe head. And as he did so the axe changed shape, becoming a massive bladed hammer with three spikes built into the pommel.

The spirit did not even have to think twice before launching forward, fully ready to take revenge upon those that had murdered him before. Within an instant he stood in the middle of them, and just as quickly did he decapitate the trio, spilling scorched blood upon the ground as the rolling heads burst into flame.

But it was the force of the impact that proved most dramatic. The shockwave alone sent Sensui hurtling into the air until he was smashed against the barrier of the Seal of Orichalcos, sending his own life fluids streaming from his mouth.

Of course, he only felt this pain for a brief instant. (Yusuke: 2100/ Sensui: 1900)

On his own end, Yusuke was only concerned with the results, and was thusly ecstatic to see the massive damage he had inflicted.

"Well, would you look at that? I guess the gap is closing, eh, Sensui?"

The opponent did not respond for a second as he wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand, but this action set off a nervous feeling within the spirit detective. Something did not sit right throughout the situation, and he had a feeling that a change had been set into place.

A feeling which was only confirmed with the duelist's next words, spoken in a gruff and extremely crude fashion that seemed to imply an entirely different person was speaking.

"Sorry, piss-head. Sensui's not here at the moment, but I'll leave a message for him on your skull. He couldn't handle it, so I'm gonna pick up the slack."

Yusuke knew that voice, and he also knew the madness it represented.

"Long time no see, Kazuya."

Joey vs. Varon vs. Bui and Suikotsu

"Alright, it's time to rock and roll! Look out!"

Joey was the first to go, and having drawn his opening hand he knew that was a fortunate circumstance. For the most part he was pretty much on his own; any alliance with Varon was bound to be shaky, and he didn't even know what sort of decks Bui and Suikotsu used, so caution would take top priority.

"I'll start things off by summoning Gearfried the Iron Knight to da field in attack mode, and then two cards face down." Before the rough and tumble duelist emerged the stated cards, two unknown and the other a massive knight clad in semi-futuristic iron armor. (1800/1600) "That'll wrap things up for now."

Varon and Joey needed only to give a passing glance to each other to indicate what would need to be done. Both knew that if they were going to walk away from this alive, they would need each other's help.

_Hopefully he doesn't have his own agenda again…_

"A somewhat strong opening move, Wheeler. Now let me show you what real strength is." Bui was the next to go, fanning his own hand before drawing.

For whatever reason, looking at his new cards reminded him rather strongly of the Dark Tournament. It was an entirely different medium of combat, of course, but somewhere he could sense the thrill of the arena, as though he stood once again with weapon at the ready.

Unfortunately, he could not experience all the aspects of fighting in such a manner, which was the very reason he had built this deck in the first place.

"I summon Blade Driver to the field in attack mode!"

The summoning of Bui's first monster was quite a bit different from Joey's summoning. Normally, the creature would be called forward in the monster zone, but in this case the monster, namely a purple and silver mechanical full-arm gauntlet with two blades folded into it, attached itself to Bui's right arm. (1000/0)

This one summoning caused Joey and Varon to start in disbelief. It seemed that two duelists were using an Armor deck on that day.

"You seem unnerved by my choice of opening moves. Well, take comfort in that I am adding armor at this point; those that have faced me in the past will know that they should only take fear when my armor is removed. So for the moment, I shall place two cards face down to conclude my turn." _With any luck, removing my armor will not be needed today._

"Another Armor user, huh? This should be fun to see in action. My move!"

Varon was the next to draw, and without even looking at them he could feel a swell of arrogance and excitement rise in him. The first attacks hadn't even been laid and he was already stoked.

"I summon Psychic Armor Head to the field in attack mode!" Unlike Bui's armor, Varon's opening machine was a cybernetic helmet of sorts, the pinnacle of human-machine interface technology. (0/500)

The other Armor warrior was not at all pleased. He was all too familiar with Psychic Armor Head, and unless he was mistaken it could only mean one thing.

"I'm not done yet. Next, I activate Armor Upgrade, which allows me to sacrifice an Armor monster on my side of the field to summon another from my hand. So I'll offer Psychic Armor Head to summon Artillery Shell Armor in attack mode!"

The helm component of Varon's Armor deck was soon replaced by another type, a fully automatic suit of armor of light green coloration that was armed with two missile launchers on both shoulders and what appeared to be pistons built into both arms. (100/100) "That'll do for now."

"Feh, looks like all three of you are hiding behind tin cans. Time to show you what a real duelist is like!"

Those words alone made Joey and Varon shiver. They had seen their fair share of lunatics before, and something told them that Suikotsu was the worst.

"I summon Makyura the Destructor to the field in attack mode, and I'll equip him with The Devil's Talons, boosting his attack by 1000 and giving him the opportunity to deal you 300 life points of damage each time he destroys one of your monsters."

The first of Suikotsu's monsters was indeed the purple-armored Makai butcher; however, this time his claws had been upgraded to massive, scimitar-like serrated blades attached to both hands. Somehow he lifted them up so that both were level with the Artillery Shell Armor and Gearfried.

"I'll then set a card, and activate Dian Keto the Cure Master, to increase my life points by 1000. That shall end my turn."

In a move which contrasted in a great way from his first, Suikotsu soon found himself surrounded in gold and crystal medicinal powders, healing his wounds and soul in the process. (Joey: 4000/ Varon: 4000 (Bui: 4000/ Suikotsu: 5000))

This came as a rather large surprise for the others. In one turn he had showcased two very different forms of dueling: high offense and life point gain. It seemed rather inconsistent, to say the very least, and in fact seemed to indicate a brief change in personality.

Only Suikotsu himself knew what was going on, and it made him sick, though he would not show this.

_No! It's started already!_

"You really aren't a big fan of keeping things together, huh? My move!"

Joey drew once more, and with that draw saw a perfect opportunity.

"Alright, it's time I step things up a notch! I play Graceful Charity, lettin' me draw three cards as long as I get rid of two."

After doing so, Joey saw an incredible plan form itself in his mind.

"I sacrifice Gearfried the Iron Knight to summon Rekka the Storm Empress to da field in attack mode!"

The knight hewn of iron was offered up, and in his stead emerged the wind summoner he had won in his duel with Jin. (2400/1000) "And because she was tribute summoned, I can destroy one of your face down cards, so I'll go after Suikotsu's!"

Unlike the activation in Joey's duel, Rekka now only needed to let fly one wing to demolish his set Trap card.

"And here's the clincher. I play Monster Reborn on one of the monsters I sent to the Graveyard with Graceful Charity: Gilford the Lightning!"

The activation of Joey's next card had rather different results from the first, for from the ankh of Monster Reborn was summoned his soldier of lightning. Unfortunately, his effect could not activate thanks to his being special summoned. (2800/1500)

"Alright Gilford, it's showtime! Destroy Suikotsu's Makyura!"

With another of his legendary roars, Gilford hurled himself towards Makyura, sword ready to slice deep into the hellish flesh that gave him the bringer of death life. The executioner, meanwhile, set his claws into a defensive position, while nodding to Bui for some reason.

The armored titan knew exactly what this meant: his psychotic partner had drawn the card he needed.

Joey was unaware of this, and so was Gilford as he swung his blade down against Makyura's comparitively feeble defense, crushing the weapons and cleaving the executioner's skull in half. (Joey: 4000/Varon: 4000 (Bui: 4000/ Suikotsu: 4800))

It was not until after the attack landed that Joey remembered something very important: Makyura had a special ability.

"Thanks, Wheeler. By sending my executioner to the graveyard, you've triggered his effect, which allows me to play a Trap card from my hand. And what better card to play than Counter Assault?"

"Counter wha?"

"Idiot. When Counter Assault is activated after a battle, one of my other monsters can attack one of yours, and gains 500 attack points in the process. And since I have no monsters, I'll let Blade Driver fill that requirement." (1500/0)

"Oh yeah, what good is that gonna do?"

"More than you could ever imagine."

Bui already knew what was going to happen; this was all as he had planned.

Without any fear or doubt, the mercenary bolted directly at Rekka, and in doing so triggered the folded tools that were his weapon's namesake. Extending out so as to form a pair of serrated daggers, the likes of which were only seen in high-security military establishments, the weapon began to operate partially of itself, and partially of Bui, and thusly did two mini jets pop out of the sides to give more force to the impact. (2500/0)

"Ah yes, I forgot to mention that Blade Driver has a special ability too. Whenever he attacks a monster, he can increase his attack strength by 1000 points, and added to the bonus from Counter Assault that works out to more than enough to best your Rekka."

And so it stood; Joey could do nothing save watch as the second Armor duelist slip past Rekka at such incredible speed that her skin and armor was literally sucked off in the vacuum, causing her to dissipate into the wind from whence she came. (Joey: 3900/Varon: 4000 (Bui: 4000/ Suikotsu: 4800))

Joey had already lost one of his monsters; he wouldn't lose a second.

"Shit. Alright, I'll wrap up with a face down card. Your turn."

Bui drew once again, except this time in silence. He did not use words, but rather spoke with actions.

"Now, this is quite fortunate, isn't it? I summon Solar Ray Helm to the field in attack mode!"

The second armor monster Bui summoned was based on the template used to design Psychic Armor Head, but this time was cast in gold and had a blood red read-out screen which hooked onto his own helm. (500/0)

"As you can imagine, my monster has a powerful effect, for it can increase the overall attack of all my Armor monsters on my side of the field by 500 points. It also has a few other abilities, but they're rather insignificant at present. And next I'll play the Equip Magic card, Razor Cutter, increasing Blade Driver's attack by 500 points!"

With the activation of these effects, two things happened: the aforementioned helmet sent out a beam of light onto the Blade Driver, revitalizing and upgrading the edged attack gauntlet, (2000/0) (1000/0) , and a second set of blades resembling straight-edge razors jutted out from behind the first. (2500/0)

"Hm. Your Gilford the Lightning has put up a noble battle, but that won't be enough! Blade Driver, eradicate his lightning swordsman!"

But in reality, it was Bui that would be doing the eradication, and once again he bolted forward to slaughter Gilford, eyes glistening in madness as he prepared to butcher his enemies again. It was a feeling he had relished in all of his battles before, and now he could actually enjoy it…for now, at least.

His feet pressed against the ground, and like an eagle he soared against his opposition, jets of the Driver initiating in the process. At the same time, the razors began to hum with a spiritual aura that did not seem to come from any ordinary technology, and all of the duelists knew what was going to happen. (3500/0)

At least, almost all of them.

"Sorry, princess, not gonna happen! I activate my face down card, Magic Arm Shield!"

Suikotsu almost threw up at this comment; his position as the third strongest duelist of the Band of Seven gave him access to information on many Trap cards, and given the situation it could not have been a worse one.

"Now, normally I would use Magic Arm Shield to switch your Blade Driver's attack against the Solar Ray Helm, but I've got an even better idea! I chain with the other Trap card I had in play, Traitor to the Cause, which lets me switch control of a monster to you. And in this case, I'm going after Varon's Artillery Shell Armor with both traps!"

And with those words, the self-operating suit of armor was shifted, moving towards Bui's side of the field just as the mechanized shield that had manifested itself upon Gilford's arm shot out a telescoping clamp of its own, dragging the heavy armor towards the storm soldier…and directly in the path of Bui's attack.

_No!_

There was nothing he could do to stop the assault, and so in horror he punched directly through the heavy armor, which in turn detonated in a flash of light that blinded the duelists.

"And because Artillery Shell Armor was destroyed by a monster attack, you'll lose 500 life points in addition to the hefty chunk you lost just now!"

Suikotsu knew that Bui would be vital to his victory, and so saw fit to step in.

"I have to disagree, Wheeler! I discard Damage Ointment from my hand to negate battle damage during this turn, along with any effect damage played during a battle phase! However, I cannot increase my own life points until the end phase of my next turn."

As the mercenary did this, Bui instantly felt the scrapes he had suffered because of the botched attack fade away. Unfortunately, the wounds on his pride were not so easily soothed.

_Damnation. This is all falling to pieces at the seams. How could they possibly have synchronized that move so quickly?_

Suikotsu, however, was impressed. He had never had a duel this exciting in a long time, not since he had faced Bankotsu. However, he also knew that he would need to wrap the match up quickly, and the only way to do that was to function more efficiently.

_With any luck, we'll have cut through the little bitches before the good doctor comes back. That is, if the lummox picks up his game…_

"You done yet?"

"For now. I'll end my turn with a face down card."

Bui was not easily shaken in the worst of situations, but even he knew when to prepare for a counterattack. The gun was to his head again, and with any luck they would empty the clip in one shot.

The duel, as near as he could tell, would prove to be interesting, to say the least.

Varon didn't really bother with these theories most of the time, and this time was not an exception. Thusly did he draw out his next card.

_Well, it isn't the Seal, but pretty damn close._

"I just realized something about how you use Armor, Bui; instead of allowing each component to work together as one entity, you focus all of your power into one part of it, a piecemeal strategy at best."

"I assume this speech of yours has a point to it?"

"Actually, yeah, but first I'm going to resurrect Psychic Armor Head thanks to his ability." And as he claimed, the focal point of the cybernetic armor materialized directly in front of Varon.

"And now, time to make a move that won't leave a dry eye in the house, and I mean exactly that! I play Armor Gravitation!"

Yami vs. Renkotsu

"You really shouldn't be too surprised, Pharaoh; after all, you're dealing with a Burn deck, and half of the power behind one depends on how well a user can control the field, and what better way to do this than to lock the attacks of your strongest monsters?"

Even as he said these words, a shockwave of undiluted gravity slammed into both of Yami's monsters and forced them backwards He did not need to hear the effect; twice before had he seen this card in action, and both times it had been used with devastating power.

But the situation was worse this time around. The others that had used it had only marginal skill, whereas Renkotsu was clearly a master of the game.

"Impressive play, mercenary, but I'm not through yet."

"You will be soon enough, I assure you."

"We'll see about that. Anyway, I'll set a card to end my turn." _This isn't good; I'm down to almost half my life points, and Renkotsu has almost total control of the field. With any luck I'll be able to draw out something to dispel his lock, but at this rate…_

Renkotsu was not nearly as worried. His plans had all been executed perfectly, and within a few more turns it would be over. However, he had learned quite a long time ago that plans did not always follow through.

It was a lesson Bankotsu had made all too clear to him...

"You're done, Pharaoh. I flip summon my face down Solar Flare Dragon into attack mode!"

Renkotsu's hidden monster would not stay hidden for long, and in fact did not even wait for him to flip over the card to make its presence known by a flash of celestial luminescence that rivaled that of the sun itself. But what the flash left behind was infinitely more horrific than a display of light, for the latest being that had been called forward was a coiling wyrm of extraordinary composition. The only possible way to describe it would be calling the beast a living solar flare in the form of a dragon, hence its title. However, this vague portrayal could not begin to do it justice. (1500/1000)

This was not the first time Yami had seen this card either, and from what he knew of Renkotsu's deck and his overall mentality, there was only one reason he would do this.

"You seem to have been playing this game for a while, so I think you know what I'm going to follow this move up with: a second Solar Flare Dragon!"

As Yami expected, another celestial wyvern rose up to reunite with its bretheren, and in spite of their inability to attack both reared up in supreme arrogance. They knew what their purpose was, and were ready to enact it well.

"I won't bother going into the effect of my two dragons; you should know this quite well as the Game King."

Yami did know the essence of what he was dealing with, and was surprised that the move hadn't come into play earlier. It was an advanced form of the Marauding Captain lock for Pyro decks; each dragon would block for the other, creating an effect loop which prevented attacks, and to make matters worse the dragons would inflict a total of 1000 points of damage at the end of his turn.

Renkotsu had been in control from the start, he realized, and he knew now that it was time to take his own game to the next level. But to do that, he would need a miracle, and they were in short supply these days.

"It seems that there's not much else to do for the moment, so I'll end my turn there with a face down card."

And with that, a new barrage of devastation rained upon him; in combination with the minute spurts of embers from the unholy coals, the twin dragons now sent forward their own strike, namely a shot of solar power which resembled a binary star system. Both sets of strikes combined on the way towards their victim, ultimately converging into a pinpoint streak of demolition which crushed into Yami's chest and spread to consume his body entirely. The pain was overwhelming in ways he had never experienced before, and soon enough he was on one knee, panting for breath as it all dissolved

The onslaught proved rather gratuitous for a total of 1300 points of damage, but that was the nature of the beast. (Yami: 900/ Renkotsu: 3500)

"This is going to be even easier than I thought. As near as I can tell I have you trapped; even if you could destroy my Gravity Bind, my Solar Flare Dragons will prevent your attacks, so it's over in any event."

"Heh. You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?"

Renkotsu's attention was instantly snared by the sudden appearance of a deathly anger upon his opponent's voice, and with that new presence came a peculiar feeling of dread in his mind. Something told him that he had overstepped himself, and that he would soon be in a rather large amount of danger.

_No, I will stay the course. The pathetic fool only has 900 life points; I can easily eradicate that much from him in one turn…_

"You're bluffing. You know you can't win; all you're doing is trying to hide your fear."

"And if you're wrong? You may have studied my deck, Renkotsu, but you could not possibly study every facet of what it can produce. In fact, let me demonstrate. My move!"

The draw of perfection, if such a thing exists, is in theory a draw that not only produces a powerful card, but opens up into an even greater strategy, and with providence the card Yami had drawn would give him just such an opportunity.

"I activate Card of Sanctity!"

Renkotsu knew exactly what that card did; most powerful duelists were known to use it in a pinch, and he was among that number, so he was glad to draw a few extra cards. However, he imagined that feeling was more on Yami's side of the equation.

And indeed it was.

"I'll begin by setting three cards onto the field, and then I will activate the magic of Polymerization, fusing my Ivory Magician and Chaos Command Magician to summon Crystal Baron Sage in attack mode!"

The familiar fusion sorcery now consumed Yami's only two powerful monsters and combined their energies, forming an even deadlier monster. More specifically, it was a hulking mage clad in ruby and emerald armor styled in a similar fashion to the Dark Magician, and instead of a staff the sorceror wielded a holy water sprinkler in his right hand…the offensive sort. In the crook of his other arm was a silver-bound spell textbook. (3150/2300)

"Now, I'm perfectly aware of the effect of your Gravity Bind card, and because my monster has ten stars he cannot attack you. However, I'm not using him for his attack power, not yet at least."

"Then what do you intend to use him for?"

"Crystal Baron Sage has the ability to allow me to discard a Spellcaster from my hand, and in exchange I can draw a card when one Magic card is activated. So I'll activate such a card: An Alter of Resurrection, forcing me to remove two cards from the top of my deck to add a card from my graveyard into my hand. And the card I've chosen is Potion of Rebound!"

Renkotsu watched in morbid fascination as Yami set into action his massive draw. After paying the costs for Baron and Alter, the Pharaoh was able to draw another card thanks to the monster's effect, and three more cards due to Potion of Rebound.

"It still won't be enough to stop me!"

"Actually, it will. I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode!"

Yami's next monster was indeed the crimson armored swordsman of the mages, sword primed at the ready as he stood by his elder. (1900/1000) "And now I shall eradicate your Gravity Bind, along with any hope of victory for you!"

Once again did Breaker enact his special ability, this time to slice down the gravitational barrier that Renkotsu had devised. With one sweep of the enhanced blade the deed was done, and the locking trap shattered in a blast of pixels. (1600/1000)

"Damn it…"

"I'm far from done, Renkotsu. Next, I'll activate the card I set last turn, Mystic Wok, sacrificing Breaker to increase my life points by his own attack points!"

The swordsman nodded towards his commander and to Yami, knowing his sacrifice would be for the greater good. Thusly he did not scream out in pain as he was absorbed into his master's card, which was basically a giant iron cooking pan. (Yami: 2500/ Renkotsu: 3500)

"And now there is but one thing left to do. I play the Magic card, Diffusion Wave Motion, paying 1000 life points to attack all of your monsters on the field and negate their effects! And because Crystal Baron Sage was targeted for an effect, he can bypass the Fusion attack restrictions!" (Yami: 1500/ Renkotsu: 3500)

With that one summoning of power, Yami knew he had sealed his victory, or part of it anyway.

Even as the duelists watched, the seemingly cumbersome spellcaster began to levitate using his armor, and at the same time start swinging about his mace in the air, resulting in a vortex of power above his head. And in the center of said vortex was a small orb of iridescent magic, one that would momentarily unleash a sorcery that had undone many of the Pharaoh's opponents in duels gone by.

Renkotsu knew what this meant, and had been ready for it from the start.

"Fool. I activate my face down card, Magma Draught! When this card is activated, any damage I take as a result of fire monsters being destroyed in battle is negated!"

At the exact moment that the crescents of death rained down upon his monsters, Renkotsu was able to pick up a silver goblet that was overflowing with a scorching hot liquid inside of it, which he drained in one excruciating gulp. But however agonizing the trial of the draft was, it was well worth the price, for around his body was now a ruby-colored barrier which reeked of gunpowder.

The barrier also had the effect of blurring Renkotsu's outline, but although seeing through it was difficult, Yami could sense he was grinning from ear to ear in spite of watching his only line of defense get ripped to shreds. Each monster fell before an arc of the Baron's sorcery, either shattering into fragments of charcoal or dissolving into a whiff of hyrdogen gas, and he merely smiled.

_What kind of duelist is he? He almost seems glad that he lost all of those monsters…_

"You're going to pay for dismantling my Burn Lock, Pharaoh. In fact, you're going to pay on my next turn."

"I doubt that. At any rate, I end my turn."

"This duel is mine, and nothing you say shall change that! _My move!_"

Renkotsu drew once again, and his eyes lit up like the flames he controlled. If he played this correctly, he would demolish the Pharaoh and take his pathetic life.

"I play Inferno Economy, which lets me remove every Pyro type monster in my graveyard, and for each one I can draw another card, coming out to three cards. Also, when Igneous Firestarter is removed from play after activating his effect, I can double effects involving Pyro monsters during this turn, so I can draw six instead!"

And in that instant, the pyrotechnics specialist of the Band of Seven saw his chance. He could end it right there if he did it right, and he always did.

"You're done! I summon Mine Golem to the field in attack mode!"

In what seemed to be a complete deviation from his original plan, Renkotsu's next monster was literally a walking tank metal land mine. (1000/1900)

"I know what you're thinking, Pharaoh. Why would I place such a pathetic monster on the field in attack mode? It's actually fairly simple; when he is destroyed in battle, you will lose 500 life points, and I intend to do just that!"

"You've forgotten one thing, Renkotsu. If you should do that, you will lose over 2000 life points, which does not seem to add up if you wish to beat me."

"You let me worry about that. If I were you I'd be more concerned with exactly how I set that effect into place…and I have just the card to do it."

And with one swing of his palm, the card he was referring to hit the field.

"Does it look familiar? It should, seeing as this is a card you attempted suicide with."

Yami, having seen first hand how much Renkotsu knew about his own duels, instantly realized what the card had to be. The very recollection of it sent the fear of death into his soul.

_It's happening again…_

"You're finished, Yami no Yuugi! I play Meteor of Destruction!"

Kagome vs. Jakotsu

"Better start saying your last goodbyes, bitch; I'm taking you down right here and now, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

The scythes glistened in the air, each performing a symmetrical acrobatic display in the musky hotel hallway as dancers upon the heavens. It was an artform, this technique, mastered by few in the 750 years in which it had been in existence, and yet was also brusquely efficient. As such, both Kagome and her angels felt simultaenous dread and astonisment at once, making it hard to concentrate.

And yet…

_I need to focus…Yami's depending on me, and so is Shippo, and Inuyasha too…_

Discipline was never really one of her points of expertise; her experiences in the Feudal Era and her overall character had seen to that. However, when backed into a corner as she was now, and with so much riding on victory, she could become a hardened pinpoint of calm and rationality.

This was rarely accomplished most of the time because ultimately, Kagome was viewed and acted as the damsel in distress. But not this time.

The gun was not against her head this time; it was in her hand, and to save her friends and her beloved…she would need to pull the trigger, her and no one else.

"I activate the Trap card, Seal of Ice, trapping your Arikotsu and preventing him from attacking or changing positions until his attack power changes!"

To Jakotsu's contempt, his elegant killer was soon contained in a block of crystallized ice, and without his magic maintaining them his scythes tumbled to the ground as well.

"Take _that_, Jakotsu!"

"You little whore. Fine, I will set my last card. Your move."

"Don't push it, Jakotsu. I'm pissed off enough as is"

With a one-handed draw Kagome extracted her two cards thanks to Pluto, and she could work with them just fine.

"First off, I'll activate the effect of Yuki, to shuffle one monster in my graveyard into my deck. Next I'll activate one of my face down cards, Jar of Greed, to draw an extra card. Finally I'll play that card, Golden Bow, and equip it to Pluto!" The timid angel, once unarmed, was now equipped with a golden long bow, not dissimilar in design to Kikyo's own. (500/700)

This confounded Jakotsu to no end; unlike Renkotsu and Bankotsu, he had not trained as extensively in the game, and so could not imagine that this decrease in attack was an ill omen.

"Now, thanks to the effect of Golden Bow, I can deduct my monster's attack strength in amounts of 500, and then destroy a magic or trap card for each amount! So I'll decrease his attack by 1000 to wipe out your United We Stand "

The bow, unlike those used by mikos and warriors, appeared to have its own form of intellect, and therefore was able to function of itself, launching two shots of divine energy at the designated cards and destroying them. However, there was a problem with this, as Arikotsu's untimely escape from the ice demonstrated. (1900/2100)

"Thanks for releasing Arikotsu, woman."

"No problem, especially when I can bring him down to a reasonable amount. Now, Yuki, finish up what you started!"

The seraph did not need to hear the command twice, and without a moment's hesitation decapitated his adversary. However, instead of blood flowing from the strike, a strange silver liquid hovered out and curled around Kagome, rejuvenating her body and spirit. (Kagome: 4800/Jakotsu: 2200)

"I'm not done yet. Yuken, destroy Jakotsu's Dai Grepher!"

It did not take any great amount of intellect to predict that Yuken's attack would not be one of any great dignity, and it wasn't. With a flick of his wrist, the grunge angel was armed with a pearl-handled switchblade, which he proceeded to throw at the Warrior Dai Grepher with deadly accuracy so as to strike him between the eyes. (Kagome: 4800/ Jakotsu: 2100)

"Dead center. Ok, that'll do it for now."

"Lucky shot, but it's not gonna happen again, not if I have anything to say about it!"

Jakotsu's upper lip was curling into a sneer as he drew again. Although he was not a great duelist when compared to the others, he still should have been able to hold out against one ditz and her army of pixies; it was humiliating on so many levels.

But if he played this next card right, then it wouldn't matter.

"I summon Masquerade Swordsman to the field in attack mode!" Jakotsu's next monster was apparently one of far better breeding than the others; draped in pink silken clothing of French origin and armed with a gold and platinum rapier, he played the part of a society man to the letter, including the décor upon his white china mask. (1800/1650)

"And as you can imagine, my little dandy here has a special effect, namely to increase his attack by 500 for each Warrior I discard from my hand during this turn. So I'll ditch the Warlord from the Divine Plain, which lets me add up to two other monsters of the same name when he's discarded."

With one sweep of his hand, the aforementioned monster was slid into the graveyard, allowing the enigmatic aristocrat absorb its soul into the rapier. (2300/1650)

"Hm…he's cute, but needs a little more beefing up. Ah, to hell with it. I discard the other two Warlords I just added into my hand to give him an extra 1000 points."

Once more did the effect take place, but this time, instead of simply taking the spirits into his weapon, the swordsman directly channeled them into his own body, causing a sharp spike of overall power which manifested itself in a slightly more defined muscle mass. (3300/1650)

"I'm not done yet. I activate the other ability of my Warlord of the Divine Plain, removing him and the other 2 from play after being discard for an effect to draw cards equal to another Warrior in play, which adds up to four new cards total!"

This move alone was causing the miko more panic than anything. He already had a monster in play with more than enough attack points to finish the job; what else could he possibly have in store?

"I'd watch your back, Higurashi; you ain't seen nothing yet. I play the Magic card, Royal Masque, which can only be activated when a Masquerade Swordsman is in play with at least three monsters that were discarded from his effect during this turn having been removed from the game. If I've done this, I can special summon a Warrior monster from my deck whose level is less than the combined levels of the three, regardless of requirements. And what better monster to summon than one who can grant me control of the field? I summon Dragon Lady to the field in attack mode!"

Next to the concealed gentry now stepped a second disguised warrior; however, this latest summon was by no means one of sophistication. Instead of gossamer strands of silk and paisley was a hefty cloak of thick brown textile, poorly woven and covering the entire body, while the mask seemed to be made of painted straw and mud.

"Hey, lose the costume already."

And with that relatively simple command, the masquerade was dropped in a sweep of the hand to reveal a towering and yet somehow lithe warrior, armed with two swords and clad in scanty leather armor, both of which appeared to be of ancient Chinese origin. (2500/2100)

"I thought you didn't like women as a rule, Jakotsu."

"Who said this was a woman? I mean, come on, let's be honest, Maximillion Pegasus wasn't exactly a mainstream businessman; odds are he made quite a few tranny cards, and I'm sure this is one. But you're missing the point, so never mind."

"Just go already."

"Meh, I'm not in the mood for using him right now; I have something much more delicious in mind. I play Polymerization, fusing the Buster Blader and Dark Magician in my hand to summon Dark Paladin to the field in attack mode!"

Jakotsu knew that this was a very bad idea to go with, especially given the duel and the crazy bitch he was up against. But in all seriousness it was one of his best cards, and sexy to boot.

As for Kagome, a whole slew of emotions coursed through her head, a sizeable portion of which was perforated with obscenities, but the one that came to the forefront of her mind was panic. Yami had shown her this card before, since it was one of his favorites, and she could tell right off the bat it was not going to be easy to best.

And it wouldn't be.

The images of the dragon slayer and the dark necromancer of Atem's deck only appeared whole for an instant against the flash of monster fusion, blending together into a being beyond recognition, and beyond power as well.

What stood before the duelists was one of the greatest of all the spellcasters, immense and hovering over the other monsters at a height of nine feet and outfitted in black, blue, and gold armor based on that of his predecessor. But in place of a stave was a horrific bladed weapon, a fusion of the tools of the Blader and the Magician which pulsed with their combined will, and his skin was a light blue so as to counter his darkness-bleached hair. (2900/2400)

"You know the old saying, women love a man in uniform? Well, this stud here blows that out of the water, like he's gonna blow you out of the duel next turn."

"He's not going to get the chance, Jakotsu. You're nothing but a chop shop reject, and you always will be, which is why that card won't do you any good. Maybe if you actually believed in the Heart of…"

"Don't feed me that bullshit! The Heart of the Cards is just a fancy way of saying lucky draw, and unless the Pharaoh's saying it I want nothing to do with it! Now, Dragon Lady, wipe out her Judge of Mortality-Yuken!"

The soldier of the mountains, having seen many more wars and battles than the angel of the streets, was instantly able to pick up on his positional flaws and exploit them in synchronicity with its attack. Of course, Yuken could not pick up on this in time, and it showed in his wild flashes at the almost vaporous sword movements of his opponent. Indeed, he never stood a chance, and just as quickly as the battle began it was over, the Dragon Lady shearing the angel into quarters and spilling his golden blood upon the field. (Kagome: 4100/ Jakotsu: 2100)

"Your turn, Masquerade Swordsman!"

Unlike the other monsters Jakotsu had played, the Masquerade Swordsman decided to give his enemy a fighting chance; instead of overwhelming the seraphiem being, he simply stepped forward and took the parry stance, inviting his opponent to a fair and honest duel.

Yuki accepted the challenge, and swept out her wings for the attack. The Swordsman knew what this meant, and thus charged her at the same time she did.

It was an incredible display throughout, the warriors of olden times clashing swords with skills not seen in any legend before. Golden arcs swiped against a silver column of deadly steel with divine accuracy, and sparks from the weapons lit the field as would fire crackers. Both were experts in their weapon choice, and had been trained by some of the greatest tacticians of the age.

But unfortunately, all battles must ultimately reach a conclusion, and with one thrust directly into Yuki's jugular, this battle met that criteria. (Kagome: 3500/ Jakotsu: 2100)

"That's all for now. Your move."

It is strange how often people consider irony at the worst possible times. Take Kagome, for example: in spite of her lead of 1400 over Jakotsu, she had suddenly been forced into a position where she could lose anything and everything unless she was able to play her cards right this turn. And what did she think of? Not the duel, not how to conquer, and not even how to successfully tap the soul of the true duelist.

She thought instead of how she had never been able to get that one stain out of her plaid skirt a few years back, and how it had been bugging her ever since.

_Come on, focus! I need to concentrate again if I'm going to beat him!_

"Draw!"

With that one word, Kagome extracted the two cards which would make or break her. It was time, and she knew it was now, or never.

The cards looked at her, and she at them, and she then knew what it was like to pull the trigger for the first time.

_Bang._

Kaiba vs. Mukotsu

Duels were a science to many of the more intelligent who played them, a complexity of tactics and strategems that seemed chaotic until brought together in a single blade of instrumentality, whereupon nothing could best it save an equally cunning counterstrike.

Kaiba and Mukotsu knew this as truth in the dueling world, and applied these principles to every match they fought in. It was a quality that was fostered in them from birth, so it was quite clear to both men of what they were up against.

_Hm, Kaiba's better than I had anticipated at this game. Admittedly I did not hope for an easy victory, but he took the game to a whole other level._

It wouldn't matter much, though, especially when Pegasus's card kicked in.

"My move, Kaiba!"

Mukotsu drew again, and it only took him a second to figure out what to do.

"Heh. I sacrifice my Poison Soldier to summon Chemical Grenadier to the field in attack mode!" In a continuing theme of biological combat, Mukotsu's next monster which replaced the Poison Soldier was a thickset warrior in camoflauge that did not distract from the two barrels of toxic waste rigged with dynamite that he held in each hand. (2450/1700)

"As you have likely predicted, this monster too has a special effect; namely, the ability to deal damage to your life points equal to the difference of levels between the Grenadier and any monster it destroys. Of course, there's still the matter of your Brigadier to contend with, and I expect this will do the trick quite nicely. I activate Toxin Cloud, which allows me to pay a number of life points and decrease the attacks of your monsters by that amount during this turn, so I'll pay 1000 life points and render your monsters useless!" (Kaiba: 2800/ Mukotsu: 3000)

With a snarl of utter arrogance, the Grenadier picked up a flask containing a simmering bluish liquid and hurled it into the midst of Kaiba's monsters, engulfing them in a thick vapor of toxic agents. (1400/1500) (1400/2200) (1750/2200)

"But it gets much better from there. I'll now equip Chemical Grenadier with Arsenic Pump, which increases his attack by 300 and doubles his effect damage!"

Now armed all the more with a noisy motor-driven pump on his back feeding arsenic into his weaponry, the soldier gave out a harsh and confident laugh that was indicative of greater egotism. (2750/1700)

"And now it's time! Chemical Grenadier, wipe out his Cybernetic Brigadier!"

One swing of his mighty arms was all the soldier needed to send his weapon of choice towards the target, and the instant said barrel struck it detonated in a flash of sickly green light. And when it cleared, all that was left of the Brigadier was his armor and corroding flesh, most of which was sliding off his bones. (Kaiba: 1800/ Mukotsu: 3000)

"Sadly, our monsters are equal in level, so my monster's effect won't activate. But it does not really matter, so I'll end my turn there." (2400/1500) (2400/2200)

Unnoticed by anyone, Mukotsu's beady eyes wandered over to where the one named Botan was sitting, expression anxious as she watched her lover's defeat. He had to admit she was very attractive; certainly no Kagome, but she would be a welcome substitute for a bride once the duel was his…

His eyes wandered back to face Kaiba, who had started to draw with an increasingly aggravated expression.

"I'm not done yet, Mukotsu, and if I were you, I would keep an eye on the duel and off my girlfriend."

At this, Pegasus let out an exasperated groan beneath his teeth. He was all too familiar with Mukotsu's various perversions, and given his unpleasant countenance it was rarely received well at all.

With Botan, it was no exception, as her storm towards her lover's opponent indicated.

"PERVERT!"

One slap, and the poison master knew humility for a hundred rebirths.

Botan returned to her seat after a moment of subsequent strikes, venting wrath through her nostrils as she watched Kaiba handle the rest of it. With any luck, he would teach the mercenary a lesson he would not soon forget.

The wielder of the White Dragons looked over his new card for a moment, and smirked.

"As always, you forget yourself. Impressive as your poisons have been, it seems you did not take into account my other monsters and how they can be used, and that will be your downfall. I activate the Magic card, Treasure of Slashing Life, allowing me to draw five cards so long as I discard my hand in five turns!"

Kaiba's trademark mass draw was generally a last resort, but now seemed as good a time as any for it.

"Heh. I activate the Magic card, Reconfiguring Platoon, allowing me to sacrifice a monster on my side of the field and then special summon a monster from my hand with an increase of attack equal to half of the sacrificed monster. Granted, that monster loses any effects it may have and cannot attack this turn, but that won't last long, I expect. In the meantime, I'll use the effect I just mentioned to sacrifice Kaiser Glider and summon Blade Knight to the field in attack mode!"

With that, the golden dragon was sent off into oblivion, to be replaced by Kaiba's silver armored swordsman. (2800/1000)

"But I'm not close to done here, especially since my Cybernetic Brigadier has a special effect which activates from the graveyard, allowing me to remove it and one other Light monster from play to increase the attack and defense of a special summoned monster by 500 points and allow said monster to attack this turn in spite of any effects in play."

And as he said this, the Blade Knight was equipped with a form-fitting version of said monster's armor, boosting his own impressive strength with that of a living machine. (3300/1500)

"You're done, Mukotsu! Blade Knight, destroy Chemical Grenadier with Cyborg Arc Sweep!"

Now, under normal circumstances, the Blade Knight would attack with a sweep of his sword. However, this time the sweep was entirely electrical, and with that arc of power the Grenadier was eviscerated, spilling his blood, poisoned from his choice of attack, over Mukotsu. (Kaiba: 1800/ Mukotsu: 2450)

"This duel's just about over. Luster Dragon, direct attack!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid my face down card speaks otherwise! Go, Gunshot Vaccination! Whenever an effect monster on my side of the field is destroyed, I can negate any direct attacks during this turn at the cost of 500 life points!"

The dragon, having been commanded, continued on with the attack, but the column of emerald fire was intercepted by a wave of silver liquid which shot out of Mukotsu's Duel Gauntlet. (Kaiba: 1800/ Mukotsu: 1950)

"It doesn't matter. On my next turn this duel is mine and there's nothing you can do about it. Your move."

"You'll regret those words, Seto Kaiba. I draw!"

And in that moment, staring at the card he had just drawn, Mukotsu knew now what it was like to find providence, and his perverse snigger denoted this.

"You said that on your next turn the duel would be finished, Kaiba. Well, I will not wait that long! I play the Field Magic card…Biological Holocaust!"

To Be Continued

I admit this wasn't one of my better works.

Anyway, next chapter is VERY important for many reasons. First off, Yami, Kaiba, Kagome, and Enzeru bring their duels to the climax, as Joey and Yusuke fight off defeat from their greatest enemies yet. Also, Roger attempts to understand what he is dealing with, and Inuyasha prepares to hunt Raphael.

And Kagome's quote at the end of her duel is based on a similar line from Cowboy Bebop, though the circumstances are quite different.

Original Cards: Kagome's- Black Death and Time Mage

Enzeru's-Time Mage

Yami- Mine

Kaiba-Mine

Varon-Mine

Bui-Black Death

Yusuke-Me and Time Mage

Sensui -Time Mage

Bankotsu- Me

Jakotsu- Me

Mukotsu- Me

Renkotsu- Me

Suikotsu- Me

If I missed any, let me know.

Anyway, on to Remix! See ya next update!


	46. The Drums of War! End of the Beginning

Disclaimer: Not mine, theirs, not the states.

LONG time since last update, I know, but here I am.

Anyway, last chapter heated up the duels of Enzeru, Yami, Kagome, Yusuke, Joey, and Kaiba, five of which are against the members of the dreaded Band of Seven.

This chapter keeps up those duels, with a few saved for later to save time. But more importantly…this is the final chapter of Force of Darkness, hear my cry. Due to popular demand, I have split it into arcs, so don't worry, this tale will live on, just in separate stories.

Chapter 45: The Drums of War! End of the Beginning

Yusuke vs. Kazuya

"Heh, what's some little punkass bitch like you doing in New Paradigm, Urameshi? This place ain't for toddlers, ya know."

"Well, it sure isn't for schizos, either."

Beneath his false bravado, Yusuke had to admit he did not like his new situation. Kazuya, while weak in any case, was certainly no pushover, and he imagined that this was the case as a duelist as well. Still, if he was as good at dueling as he was in combat, Yusuke doubted he would lose.

"Anyway, Urameshi, since you've already attacked, why don't you wrap this up already? I've got things to do and people to kill, ya know."

"Yeah, sorta figured. Anyway, I'll set a card to end my turn."

"That all? Heh, this is gonna be cakewalk. My move!"

Of course, Kazuya had not forgotten the attack of Hino-Kagu Tsuchi, and as such tossed what remained of his hand into the graveyard before drawing. But by good fortune, he had drawn just what he needed anyway.

"Heh, not bad for a topdeck, if I do say so myself. I activate the Magic card, Crusade Fallback, which can only be activated if I have four or more Templar monsters in my graveyard. For each one I am allowed to draw one card, plus another two, so long as I pay 1000 life points and remove each Templar from play. That comes out to four, I think; the three you chopped up, and the one Sensui discarded for Guard of Card." (Yusuke: 2100/ Kazuya: 900) With only one motion, Kazuya drew out a fresh set of cards, now even stronger than before as far as hand advantage was concerned.

"Well now, looks like it's time to mix things up a bit. I summon Fire Storm Teutonic to the field in attack mode! And of course, when he's special summoned, I can summon another Teutonic from my hand so long as his defense is less than 2000, and I select Starburst Teutonic!"

Almost simultaneously, Kazuya was able to summon two new monsters from his hand. The first monster, dressed in golden chain mail wreathed in flames, was helmed by a pig's head bassinet and armed with a blazing spear. The second was equipped with plate armor, a sugarloaf bassinet, and a broadsword, all made out of glowing platinum. And of course, both obtained the dark power of Atlantis (1900/1800) (2700/2300)

"I'm not even close to done. Next, I'll activate the Magic card known as Teutonic Enlistment, letting me draw cards equal to the number of Teutonic monsters I have in play. I'll follow that up by activating Called to Crusade, which lets me summon another Templar or Teutonic to the field, and I'm going after Tempest Teutonic!"

Kazuya's next monster was equipped more for swift blitz combat than anything; lightly armored in green leather and thin yet sturdy mail, he was equipped with a pair of light daggers which had their own air current flowing around them, which seemed to correspond with the fact that he was floating in midair. (2900/2800)

"And now for the finishing touch. I activate The A. Forces, which increases the attack of every warrior in play by 200 for each warrior and spellcaster on the field. And since I only have Teutonics in play, you can guess what type they are."

At that moment, all three of the soldiers of God crossed their blades as one, drawing from each other power, confidence, and an overall sense of unity. It would have been touching…were it not for the fact that the man who had caused this was a psychotic with a Messiah complex. (2500/1800) (3300/2300) (3600/2800)

"Alrighty, detective, it's time to send your sorry ass packing! Tempest Teutonic, slice and dice his Hino-Kagu Tsuchi!"

But at this, Yusuke gave one of his famous overconfident grins.

"Who said you'd get to attack him? I activate the Quick Play known as Sacrifice Reversal, which lets me sacrifice my Hino-Kagu Tsuchi and summon Spirit monsters from my graveyard whose total levels are less than his. Say hello again to Shikikami, Yata-Garasu, and Spirit Forgemaster, all in defense mode"

Just seconds before the Teutonic could deliver the killing blow to Hino-Kagu Tsuchi, said fire spirit vanished almost instantly, to be replaced by the paper spirit, the over-sized crow, and a gangly old blacksmith with a thin leather apron and a Bronze Age hammer. (200/100) (0/0) (1150/1700)

"Heh. That's all you've got? Oh well, I guess this won't take long at all, then. Forget the fire bitch; go after his last three monsters!"

With attack orders on hand, the Teutonics charged forward to do battle once more: the soldier of wind sent twin columns of air towards Yata Garasu, reducing him to feathers upon impact, the soldier of fire made five swift, deadly thrusts, perforating the blacksmith, and the soldier of light had only to kick the paper spirit before it dissolved outright.

"You can't beat me, Yusuke. It took me just one turn to whip your sorry ass back into the corner where you belong, and soon it'll all be over. I'd start saying my goodbyes right about now."

"Yeah, right. Look, Kazuya, you're just as much a sorry duelist as you were a fighter, so don't get too comfortable yet."

"You'll see in a moment, bitch. But for now, I'll set a card, and it's your move."

Of course, given Yusuke's current position, such a move with any serious results would likely be difficult, if not impossible. It would take nothing short of a miracle.

And by good fortune, a miracle is just what he drew.

"Heh. Hey, Kazuya, how's your gun arm doing these days?"

"What's it to ya?"

"Eh, I'm just asking. I mean, you know how I kicked your ass last time when you pulled out your special talent? Now seems as good a time to do the same."

"Bullshit. You beat me last time cuz of a fucking FLUKE! You know it and I know it, and this time you won't get that lucky!"

"Well, luck'll have to do with it this time; hell, a LOT to do with it! I play King's Ransom, dropping 1000 lifepoints to draw three cards. Not a bad deal for a game breaker. Next, I'll set a face down card, and summon the monster I won in my first duel of this tournament: Kinetic Soldier!"

To himself, Kazuya choked back a long stream of obscenities as he watched Yusuke summon his next monster. This was, in all seriousness, the ultimate antidote to any warrior deck, capable of taking out any one of his monsters with one strike. And as he watched the cerulean armored cybernetic warlord step onto the field. (1350/1800)

"Ya know, when I put this thing into my deck, I thought it could be useful pretty much only as a shield, but with a 2000 offense and defense gain against warriors, who's complaining right now besides you?"

"Heh. It's not like it matters; your monster doesn't have the strength to end this right now."

"Really? Well, maybe a little number called Mage Power will change your mind."

At this, two words passed through Kazuya's mind.

_Oh shit._

"A musclehead like you knows about United We Stand, right? Well, this is his little brother, and as you can guess it works for Magic and Trap cards, giving a 500 point boost for each in both stats. And in spite of it being only a 1000 points, it's more than enough to kick your sorry ass!" (2350/2800) "Kinetic Soldier, let's wrap this up! Attack his Fire Storm Teutonic!"

With a metallic roar from deep inside his enhanced stomach, the mighty technological soldier levelled his weapon of choice and opened fire on the inferno warrior, a hailfire of golden orbs of plasma coursing through the air and searing it. Every shot was on target, each prepared to decimate Kazuya and what remained of his forces.

And yet…

_No, this is too easy. Even Kazuya couldn't be taken down this fast._

In the back of his head, barely noticeable, Yusuke could hear the small, puny voice of logic trying to whisper something in his ear; when that method failed, it resorted to whoops and catcalls that still eluded him.

And then, as if a bolt of lightning had slapped him, Yusuke saw something, something set deep in his opponent's soul that could not be pierced without a sense of knowledge regarding such things. Yusuke had this knowledge, of course, but only after enduring a trial of fire.

He saw his opponent then. Not Sensui, and not Kazuya. Deep within the Seal-dominated eyes of the duelist across from him, he could see who was really in control.

Things had changed since the two had last fought, and now the former detective saw his enemy…the true Dark Angel.

_Shinobu…_

Unfortunately, it was too late to call off the attack, and just as Yusuke saw what he was up against the barrage of energy punched a triad of holes directly into the inferiorly outfitted Teutonic. The blood spilled came out like a surge, and within seconds the body ceased to be.

Smoke poured from the attack crater, clouding Yusuke's view of both Kazuya and the other Teutonics. It did not bring him any comfort, and only caused his panic to escalate further. Somehow he knew that this battle was far from done, and he was not sure how long he could keep up the fight. The Seal of Orichalcos was beginning to take its toll upon him, much more than any other duel or fight previous; it would only be a matter of time before he succumbed to it outright.

"Yo, Kazuya, your soul gone yet?"

It was a miracle that Yusuke's voice didn't crack from the strain, and a miracle again that he did not scream upon hearing the next words out of his enemy's mouth.

"I am afraid that Kazuya is no longer with us. As in our previous battle, he has proven himself to be far too weak to be of use, so I shall be your opponent for the remainder of the duel."

It took only a second for him to recognize that voice; this was the ring leader, the head honcho of the Chapter Black incident. But if this really was Shinobu, then there were several questions that needed to be answered.

Sadly, there would be no time, for at that moment a single flash of seraphic golden aura pierced through the thick smoke, to reveal Yusuke's true enemy…the man that had killed him the second time.

Looking at his enemy, bathed in the divine glow of his own supernatural aura, the result of his technique known as Sacred Energy blending with the near infinite darkness of the Seal of Orichalcos, the madman's successor as Spirit Detective felt a shiver of pure, undiluted terror course through his body. This new form of power was not one he was quite used to, having only seen it in its pure form in times past, and he could tell that Shinobu had far surpassed his original strength.

Yet his eyes were the same; in spite of the dark influence of the Seal of Orichalcos, his eyes were still haunted, innocent of the world's ways. No longer was he dueling a surrogate, and he knew now that the duel was about to take a serious turn for the worse.

"Hm, it has been far too long, Yusuke."

"The feeling's mutual, Shinobu. Looks like we're gonna get to settle the score after all, seeing as my old man's not likely to interrupt me again. And speaking of dried-up has-beens, I've gotta ask you something: what the hell are you doing back here? You already saw Demon World, you've got your damn justification; what more can you want?"

"Come now, Yusuke, did you really think my plan was so simplistic as just seeing Demon World? If that's so, then you don't know me too well at all."

"So there was some truth to Sensui and Kazuya's plans after all."

Shinobu chuckled at this, and suddenly Yusuke felt the small spark of anger he had formed when he faced the sociopath last start to return.

"I guess you could say that. Granted, Itsuki insisted on standing in the way before I could execute them, but I had ways around his little tricks, especially since I had outside help.

"You see, eliminating Itsuki was a fairly simple task, one I left to Kazuya after my spirits had gained enough strength to communicate and move around; I was fortunate that the six-armed devil was able to freeze up the time-space continuum in his sphere of influence. It was escaping that proved difficult, due to the unusual nature of Itsuki's talent, and soon enough I realized I was trapped in limbo. With no obvious means of executing my plans I decided to wait, hoping someone would pick up on my energy signals like what happened with Elder Toguro. And someone did."

"Is he the guy that gave you the freaky field spell?"

"You've grown in intelligence, haven't you? To be fair, I was not sure who the man was at the time nor how he found me; all I knew for certain was that he was called Dartz, and that he had an aura of power which matched, if not surpassed, my own. Whatever the case, he was quick to make me an offer: he would release me and grant me the strength he held, so long as I agreed to serve his purpose. And with a few hours of conversation I realized our goals were one and the same.

"It was not long after that when I realized what Dartz had done; in the last heated moments of our battle, he was responsible for the creation of a minature barrier which held off the brunt of your father's attack, and also for the escape route from Demon World itself. Sensui and Kazuya did not take kindly to this, and the former swore vengeance upon him for interfering. I, however, was happy to accept his help, and in his hidden fortress far from prying eyes he gave me the stone you see upon my hand, a fragment of the boundless might that is the Seal of Orichalcos which cured my illness and increased my energy. He also gave me the Magic card form of that power, and augmented my dueling deck with the strength of the Holy Knights.

"Dartz and I see the world differently than you or the Pharaoh; yes, I know of Yami no Yuugi, and in fact he shall be the next to fall. You try and protect this world, this ever eternal nightmare, and you cannot accept the possibility that it is not worth saving. We of the Seal know better; we know that this world is bloated with sin and greed, with everyone in society pointing their guns at each other, and we are the ones who shall bring it down.

"I told you I went to Demon World to find out how my enemy lived, Yusuke, and I told you that I had seen what I needed to. Well, I did, and now I know that I have been correct this entire time! Even demons are more civilized than you; at least they have a semblance of honor! But it will not matter. Soon, your soul shall awaken the wrath of the Leviathan, and this entire cesspool of treachery and wickedness shall have the judgment of God cast unto them! There's nothing you can do!"

Yusuke could say nothing to this. After all this time, after what he had seen and heard, Shinobu held ever high his torch of vendetta against humanity, and now he had more than enough power to take that vendetta to the world.

But then he recalled something very important.

"Heh, I hate to break it to you, but you can't really do that unless you beat me, can you? And since your life points just took a heavy hit…"

He was right, of course; an attack of that strength could surely not have been endured. The duel was over, and Shinobu's new weapon had turned on him.

"I have to disagree. Perhaps you should recheck your numbers." (Yusuke: 1100/ Shinobu: 10)

"You see, when you attacked my monster, I was able to activate the continuous trap Deathcheat Stopwatch, which can only be activated by removing my entire graveyard from play when my life points are reduced to zero. Before I lose I am granted one life point for each two levels of my monsters in play at the time, plus four additional life points for the last monster destroyed in battle, and at the end of every one of my turns I shall lose one life point until I am reduced to zero permanently. However, as long as this card is in play I cannot take battle damage apart from direct hits."

"So in other words, this has become a timed match."

"That's the basic idea of it."

"Fine by me. I'll set a card and wrap things up." _Damn it, at this rate I'll never be able to defeat him…_

"It's my move, and now the time has arrived to end this." _Perfect. This is your end, Yusuke, and soon this world of indulgence and sin shall fall to the Seal._

"It's over. I activate the Magic card, Last Line of Offense, which allows me to sacrifice all of my Teutonic monsters in play. I can then special summon monsters from my deck with total levels equal to or less than the sacrificed Teutonics. Of course, the summoned monsters must be of a specific type of monster…namely, the final class of Holy Knights known as the Paladins! So I sacrifice my monsters to summon Ether Paladin Lumos and Paladin Spierel in attack mode!"

Before the monsters were even summoned, Yusuke could tell that this match was about to take a seriously nosedive for him, and seeing the soldiers only confirmed this theory. Lumos, a tall and empowering soldier of God, was equipped with shimmering copper armor that seemed to emit its own light, a shield that was made of steel-reinforced opals, and a massive broadsword which was surrounded by an almost divine flame. Spierel, only a few inches shorter than Lumos, wore radiant silver chain mail, and held in each hand a crystal mace. (2600/2200) (1800/1300)

"Next, I shall summon Paladin Xellos in attack mode, and now it is time for you to see the true power of my Paladins. Firstly, Lumos increases the attack power of every Paladin in play by 100 times their level. Next, Spierel increases the attack of every Paladin by 300 points, while Xellos gives every Paladin 100 attack points for every such monster on the field. Finally, my A. Forces card gives each monster 600 extra attack points, and the Seal of Orichalcos grants all my monsters 500 more attack and defense points!" Of course, before any of this could take place, the monster, a diamond chain mail armored archer, came upon the field. (1900/1200)

It was truly a horrific prospect, and Yusuke could do absolutely nothing to stop the tremendous surge of force he was about to face. However, somewhere in his mind he must have found it funny that the beings meant to do battle with darkness were serving it. (4700/2700) (3600/1800) (3700/1700)

"Your monster's power up won't save you this time, Yusuke! Ether Paladin Lumos, destroy his Kinetic Soldier with Sanctified Finality Blade!"

However, even before the monster could attack, Yusuke had counteracted.

"Reveal face down card, Channel Spirit Medium! When it's activated, only one monster can attack this turn, and the modes of all of my monsters in play are switched! Granted, I have to pay 100 life points for each level of my monster, but those are the breaks." (Yusuke: 800/ Shinobu: 10)

Undeterred, the holy knight charged forward and sliced into his mechanical foe, reducing him to seared metal and synthetic flesh upon impact, and Yusuke thanked God that he didn't have to see the eyes again.

"Impressive, Yusuke, but I doubt you can keep this up for much longer. There's only so much stalling you can do, and once you run out of defensive maneuvers I will strike you down. So go ahead and take your next turn; it's only a matter of time. (Yusuke: 800/ Shinobu: 9)

In his heart, the detective knew that he was right. Within a few more turns he would run out of traps, and the only card in his hand was a useless Magic card. The situation was almost hopeless.

_Damn it…I have to do something, or this time I'll die for good. Heart of the Cards, you'd better kick in real soon…_

Unsure of what to do next, Yusuke reached for his deck, heart raging in his ears as he drew ever closer to a win or loss. If he screwed up now, it was over. Everything came down to this, and the fate of everyone he knew and loved- Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tea, Botan, Genkai, Keiko - would be decided on that one draw.

_Heh. This is how Yugi must have felt when he dueled Pegasus…_

Somehow he was able to keep his hand steady, and reached for one of his cards. He did not know what would happen, but he expected it would not turn out well.

He did not expect what happened next. At that very moment, his entire deck began to glow with an ominous light, something he had not even seen in Spirit World.

"The hell?"

Yusuke could not believe it; some kind of unspoken power was emerging from his cards, and so was a soft, melancholy voice that resounded in his ears.

_Yusuke…you have been chosen._

And without warning, the spirit detective felt a strange sensation of vertigo run through his veins as his soul was dragged from his body and into his deck…

Kagome vs. Jakotsu

"Alright, Jakotsu, it's time for me to turn this around!" _Ok, it's not going to be easy, but if I can pull this off I may have a chance of getting what I need to put this pervert down once and for all. _"First off, because he was destroyed last turn, Yuken is resurrected for half of the number of turns he was originally on the field face up, and he's being reborn in defense mode." Once again did the street tough angel step forward onto the field, little different in his mannerisms than he was before death except for his crouched position. (1800/1800) "I'll then set two cards face down, and that shall end my turn."

Jakotsu, to say the least, was more than a little surprised by the turn of events which had transpired; for such a seemingly furious and immature little brat, Kagome had been playing with her head thus far, and was thus able to set up what might or might not have been an excellent defense. However, there was only so long that this could last; both Dragon Lady and Dark Paladin gave Jakotsu total control of the playing field, and Masquerade Swordsman's attack power would give him the extra attack power he needed to end the match once and for all.

It was finally time to end their little strife, and that turn would be the deciding point.

"Heh. It's over for you. I activate the ability of my Dragon Lady, which allows me to destroy one of your face down cards using her effect. Looks like it won't be doing too much for the moment…"

Unfortunately, for Jakotsu at least, this was exactly what Kagome had hoped would happen.

"Nice try! I chain with the card you just targetted, Solar Ray, which deals you 600 life points worth of damage for every Light monster on my side of the field!"

In the split second the Dragon Lady had hesitated to use her effect, her target had instantly gone on the offensive, sending out a ray of solid light towards her unsuspecting master. Unable to stop it, Jakotsu was hurtled backwards for at least ten feet before he was able to regain his footing again, and when he did the mercenary felt as though his ribs had been crushed into themselves. (Kagome: 3500/ Jakotsu: 900)

_You're gonna pay for that one, you little wench. Heh, you're gonna pay for it right now…_

"Nice try, Kagome, but not nice enough. See, my monsters are still able to attack you, and with their current strength you won't win! Masquerade Swordsman, attack and destroy her Yuken, and this time make sure he stays that way!"

Deciding to take a rather more brusque attack tactic in this case, the genteel soldier charged forward, rapier extended at least a foot in front of him to skewer the seemingly immortal angel. He knew the attack would have to be instantaneous; Yuken's ability would not be able to activate if it was destroyed this turn.

The gritty angel reached for his pocketknife, ready to strike back when he glanced over to see his mistress give him a slight shake of the head. In spite of being a ruffian, Yuken knew perfectly what this meant, and thusly remained in his position.

Surprisingly, he remained calm and easygoing, even as the blade punched through his jugular and out the back of his neck.

"Poor dumb bastard never saw it coming. It's too bad, though; he was kinda cute in a bad boy sort of way."

Kagome gave an aggravated sigh at this; her grandfather had always warned her that guys only ever wanted one thing, and it looked like this was the case for Jakotsu, albeit with a different focus. But then again, she wasn't exactly complaining as to how it turned out.

"Thanks much, Jakotsu; you just let me activate my face down card, Baptism in Justice, which lets me draw a number of cards equal to the level of a monster which destroys one of my judges!"

But as Kagome drew her cards, the severity of the situation occurred to her; not only were her face down cards prey to the Dragon Lady, Jakotsu's Dark Paladin would be able to short out her Magic cards if he had enough cards on hand. And of course, the Swordsman was no easy prey either.

It would not be easy to pull a victory out of the situation, not at all. Yet she knew exactly how to pull it off…if she could draw the card she needed.

"Hey, keep your eyes on the match, huh? Dark Paladin, wrap this up!"

Without hinderence or any sense of fear, the aptly named super magical slashing swordsman used a different method of combat than the others, opting instead to use his magic to glide across the arena floor and carve the final remaining monster of Kagome's field, effectively disabling her draw advantage.

"Well, looks like this won't take too much longer. In fact, why don't you just give it up already? I'll just chop you up nice and fine and fry you up for that three-eyed freak Bankotsu talked to about this job." _Course, you won't be the only thing getting cooked tonight, not at all…_

Kagome hated to admit it, but her death was fast becoming a reality to consider if she could not pull off her next turn just right. The four cards she had drawn would be enough to end it…but only if the next card she drew was the right one.

"I'm not finished yet, Jakotsu. I'll never be finished, not until the duel is over."

"Don't mouth off to me! I'm about to end this once and for all, so I figure I'll end the turn here and now."

With that, Jakotsu leaned back and decided to watch the miko twist in the wind. The duel was almost done; all he would have to do was survive one more turn and it would all be over.

Kagome knew this, and knew that her next draw would be the deciding one.

"Let's end this! My move!"

With the final flick of the wrist, Kagome drew out her final card, the key, the defining component of what was to happen next. She held out all other thoughts and blanked the world away, all to focus on that single draw.

And when she saw the card…

"This is it, Jakotsu; you can't hide anymore! I activate the Magic card, Lightning Vortex, discarding a card from my hand to destroy all of your face up monsters in play!"

With that, Kagome slipped one of her cards into the graveyard and watched as the thunders began to roar overhead. _C'mon, take the bait…_

"HA! What kind of an idiot are you? I activate the effect of Dark Paladin, discarding a card of my own to negate your Raigeki wannabe!"

It was with an incredible sense of arrogance that Jakotsu slipped his last card into the grave, allowing his paladin to strike back, and strike back he did. With a mighty swing of his blade, the magical soldier sent a crackling arc of mystical energy into the very core of the spell, effectively breaking the clouds apart.

"You really thought that could beat me with that, didn't you? I mean, come ON, didn't you see the big guy in the black and blue armor on my field?"

"I did, Jakotsu…and I also knew that you'd negate that."

Kagome, who had thus far been looking either sick or exhausted in the duel so far, now had a very strange look on her face, a smirk of victory she rarely, if ever, flashed.

"I wanted you to negate that card so I could play this Magic card, Monster Reborn, and resurrect the monster I just discarded: Yudenki- Judge of Heaven!"

Now, under normal circumstances the magic of Monster Reborn entailed the appearance of a golden ankh upon the field. In this case, however, it was a platinum crucifix that caused the resurrection, and from said cross emerged one of Kagome's mightiest monsters.

The seraph that now emerged from the grave truly deserved that title; hovering a yard above the ground, he stood at a height of eight feet tall, dressed in robes of purest white decorated only with a small wooden cross on his chest, while on his back six massive golden wings spread out to illuminate the field. His face, while a youthful one, reflected wisdom held since the dawn of time, and his silver hair gleamed with the intensity of the first starlight. (2900/2400)

Jakotsu, however, did not care about the summoning of such a monster as this.

"Sorry, Kagome, but you've forgotten one thing. Remember, even if you can destroy my Dragon Lady, you still have the Masquerade Swordsman to deal with, and he'll be more than enough to take you to pieces."

"Not really. See, with the card I have in my hand it won't matter. I activate the Magic card, Holy Wings, and I'm gonna equip it to Yudenki, increasing his attack by an amount equal to his level times 100. It also gives him some more abilities, but it's not like that'll make much difference."

With that statement, Jakotsu felt a thousand needles of ice pour into his flesh, watching petrified as a second set of wings burst out from Yudenki's back, except these pinions were made of crystal which caught and refracted the light from the other wings, creating a rainbow colored aura around the divine being. It was a truly incredible sight for any of the devout who saw it, but for the murderer it was not so much a miracle as a death warrant. (3700/2400)

His previous arrogance was now his undoing, and for a few seconds Jakotsu began to tremble. Was this how it would all end, right here in some grungy hotel built by a fascist and controlled by a demon with a God complex?

_Heh…looks like I'm not gonna spend much time with you after all, Yami. But I'll be back; just you wait 'n see…_

Kagome didn't notice this thought, of course, and simply raised her eyes to meet Yudenki's. It had been a tremendous pain in the ass, but now the time had at last arrived to wrap the match up.

"Yudenki, it's time to end this! Attack Jakotsu's Dragon Lady with Sanctifying Light of the Inner Soul!"

With that one command instilled into his mind, the mighty judge of the heavens spread out his palm and extended it, reaching towards the pagan that had threatened his bretheren, and with his divine will a single white crucifix manifested itself upon said palm. For only a moment, nothing happened, but that was all the time Yudenki needed to summon his power.

A brilliant flash of light erupted from the apex of the cross, far stronger and much more resplendent than any that could be used by Saturn, and spread to encompass the entire dueling field. Nothing was unexposed, and all was shown as it was in the truest sense.

And for the shortest time, in a motion so swift it almost passed both by, the duelists felt a single breeze run across their cheeks, the breath of angels…

…followed immediately by a horrific roar of sound and light which tore massive gouges in the fabric of the arena, shredding and coursing across every square inch of the hallway and curling around Jakotsu's monster. Try as it might, the Dragon Lady could not escape the fury of the attack, and within seconds was reduced to nothing but ashes.

However, the attack was not close to done, for soon afterward fires of heaven streaked across the field from the remnants of the Dragon Lady, scorching all else that stood to counteract God's will, and thusly sailed to strike down Jakotsu. That was their purpose, and they were set upon it with all that held them to the world.

Jakotsu looked on in silence, unable to turn away as the final component of the attack sailed towards him. Normally, he would panic, or even shriek, but in this case he knew his safety was guaranteed.

_Course, now would be a good time to get me the hell outta here!_

And whatever being Jakotsu's inner ramblings were directed to, they seemed to comply, for at that moment he felt something tugging him downwards into darkness. It consumed him outright, and within seconds he knew no physical senses. However, he was indeed relaxed; after all, this was what had been previously arranged.

_Finally._

Of course, this swift change in motion was not noticed by Kagome, who was too dazzled by the nature of her own monster's attack to see anything of the sort. (Kagome: 3500/ Jakotsu: 0)

When the light of the attack finally did clear, with the notable exception of the spots now swirling in Kagome's eyes, the miko stepped apprehensively forward, waiting to see if her opponent was waiting to kill her; her priestess energies could disable Jakotsu, but not for longer than a few minutes, so she would have to be cautious.

_C'mon…where are you…?_

It took a while for her to get it straight that Jakotsu had vanished, for reasons that eluded her apart from possible obliteration by the attack, a theory soon to be discarded when she saw that there were two perfectly intact golden keys in the position where the killer had last stood. By strange coincidence, this was where Kagome had first been linked up to her Duel Gauntlet, and this made her wonder as to what exactly destiny really was.

_Funny. First a well changes my life, and now some dingy hallway in a crusty hotel is doing the same…_

Yes, life had dealt her some rather strange blows in time past, and once again she was forced to wonder two things: what plan the world had in store for her, and whether anyone else felt this way in the world.

But there was no time for considering this, and Kagome's swift actions of collecting her prize reflected this. There was another duel going on…one even more important than hers.

Joey vs. Varon vs. Bui and Suikotsu

For obvious reasons, the reactions that were resultant of Varon's latest card were, in the basest of terms, quite mixed: Suikotsu had an expression that combined confusion, arrogance, and an underlying sense of dread; Bui, able to maintain his own calm as best he could, was rapidly screening his options to counteract the cornerstone of the Armor Deck he was up against; and Joey was both celebrating and cursing the bad memories of a card that was now serving him, to an extent at least.

Varon, however, was nothing short of ecstatic. It had been far too long since he'd been able to use the power of Armor Gravitation, and now it was time to make good use of it.

"Now, most of you know how this works already, but for kitty-claws here I'll spell it out. When it's played along with my Psychic Armor Head, I'm allowed to special summon up to four other Armor monsters from my deck to the field. However, that's not all it does. See, so far I've been playing my armor in separate pieces; this time, I'm gonna unite them as one!"

Yes, Bui was all too familiar with this strategic variation on the Armor deck, and he also knew that it posed a far greater threat to him than anything yet played so far…especially if he went with his deadliest combination, as it seemed likely he would do.

"Alrighty then, it's time to bring out the Borgman! I use the effect of my Armor Gravitation to special summon Active Guard, Over Booster, Trap Buster, and Big Bang Blow from my deck to the field!"

At that very instant, a rather unusual occurrence took place, for where once was an empty field was now a set of five components of armor: the Psychic Armor Head with which they had been called, a pair of heavy cybernetic, silver and blue boots with miniature jet boosters built into the heels, and two mechanized gauntlets of the same color and style that appeared to have a sort of skeletal appearance to the knuckles. By themselves they did not seem all that intimidating, and in fact their stats lessened any fear for anyone who had never seen them in action before. (0/1000) (0/500) (0/0) (0/0)

Already Bui was beginning to shake in terror; he had not for a moment anticipated that Varon would be using Armor Gravitation so early in the match, and now he was exposed on the field with a monster with 2500 attack points.

Suikotsu, having never actually seen this play, was not overly impressed by what he saw before him, and Varon was quick to pick up on this.

"I know what you're thinking; why'd I make such a fuss about four new monsters with no attack points? Well, why don't I show you? Armor, gravitate!"

With that one command, Varon allowed himself to become the focal point of his five components of armor, letting their fairly effective artificial intelligence take over and link to his body. And link they did, and to great effect.

The first component to attach was the Big Bang Blow, splitting in two and form-fitting itself around Varon's left arm, a movement copied by the Trap Buster. Next came the Over Boosters, fitting elegantly to his legs and snapping into place, while in the internal workings the initial firing light was armed. This was followed by the Active Guard sliding onto his torso as would the more primitive forms used in medieval Europe. Finally, the Psychic Armor Head was set into place, connecting to the rest of the armor and unifiying its movements to the will and brainwaves of the wearer, who just happened to be Varon.

It took about a second for the helm's viewport to lock into place, and the second it did an HUD similar to that used by military targeting systems manifested itself before his eyes. With this, Varon was able to examine the field around him with an almost seamless perspective on what an opponent might attempt for a counterattack, and it had been of good use thus far.

Within seconds the helmet was reading off what it had gathered from the fields. The most obvious threat was Bui; with his armor at the strength it was he wouldn't stand much of a chance in an offensive maneuver on his part. However, the threat of a trap was still present, so he would have to tread cautiously.

_Or I could just blow through his life points; yeah, that's the way. But first things first…_

"Before I do anything, I'll activate one of the equip cards in my hand, known as Big Bang Focus Emitter, which lets me direct my Big Bang Blow's effect to only one field, and since you two chumps are dueling as a team, it's safe to say you'll fit the bill. Course, I can only use this effect once and it converts to a 700 point boost at the end of this turn, but it'll be worth it."

Unseen again was Bui's fearful expression, but this time it could be heard by Suikotsu as the sound of knashing teeth worked its way over to him to cause no end of aggravation on his part.

"I assume that those sissy motions of yours mean the effect scares you?"

"It should scare you as well, Suikotsu. When Big Bang Blow attacks, it automatically wipes out all monsters in play. Combined with his Focus Emitter, it essentially means he'll clear our field out."

"And this scares you why? I mean, that Armor deck can support itself with other monsters."

Varon watched with some amusement as the two duelists bickered like an old married couple, confident in the knowledge of his own monster's ability…one which he would activate at that very moment, especially with the help of his latest enhancement, which appeared as a gauntlet with twin hydraulic pistons leading into kinetic energy knuckles.

It was time to kick some ass.

"Alright, you two, time to watch the birdy!"

For a moment, both Joey and Suikotsu looked at the second and foremost Armor duelist in a state of disbelief; it was fairly easy sometimes to forget that Varon was an extremely skilled duelist by virtue of his seeming light-heartedness. However, it was when faced with the Borgman, with Varon's full strength, that one realized what a truly frightening opponent he could be, especially with his signature crusher blow.

"BIG BANG BLOW!"

And with that one mighty declaration, Varon was on the move, Over Boosters pumping a highly concentrated form of adrenaline and other such hormones into his bloodstream to make him blitz forward as though he was a marathon runner. Of course, this was merely to build initial speed for what happened next, for within a moment or so the jet rockets built into the Over Boosters roared into life, catapulting Varon through the air at ungodly speeds matched only by those such as Hiei.

Both Joey and Bui could tell what was going to happen next, and Suikotsu could tell that it would not end well at all.

Varon could easily tell the string of such emotions as he hurtled through the air, being very careful so as to keep a basic area lock onto his target. Luckily the Psychic Armor Head did most of the work, but he could never be too careful.

Overall, however, it did not take long to wrap the whole thing up. Within seconds Varon was in striking range of the second Armor duelist, and that was more than enough reason to land the attack.

The strike was at an unprecedented rate of speed, and if either duelist watching blinked they would miss it, but neither did, and so they bore witness to an incredible display of strength and skill. All it took was one punch from Varon's Big Bang Blow to trigger the effect, and within an instant both Bui and his monsters were sent hurtling into the air by a massive explosion, one that would likely have killed the duelist were it not simply a hologram.

In spite of that, Bui proceeded to curse as he tumbled to the ground, his armor destroyed and his life points quite the worse for wear. (Joey: 3900/Varon: 4000 (Bui: 500/ Suikotsu: 4800))

"All right. Since Suikotsu has no monsters, Big Bang Blow won't do a thing to him, so I'll wrap up with a face down card. Take it away." (700/0)

"Hrm. I'll do more than that, Armor duelist. Draw!"

Suikotsu may have had the most life points at that point, but he knew that his circumstances were, at best, abysmal. Joey's monster, at 2800 attack points, had more than enough power to eliminate Bui in the next round, and Varon's Big Bang Blow alone could deal quite a hefty chunk of damage. If combined with similar cards, then the situation would be just about hopeless.

However, in spite of his near psychopathic bloodlust, Suikotsu was also at heart a doctor…a theory which worked for both healing and destroying if applied right.

"Alright, I activate the Magic card, Disproportionality Serum! When activated, all duelists in play are allowed to draw cards until their hands are equal to the difference of levels between the strongest monster in play and the weakest, along with one additional card. In this case, the total would be five, but that's not where my card ends. For every card I play during this turn, I will gain 200 life points during the end phase, meaning I can circumvent the flaw in Damage Ointment."

Each duelist, at this, drew out their cards, left even more bewildered at the tremendous inconsistencies in Suikotsu's strategy. It seemed he constantly fluctuated from full-out offensive to a life point boosting machine, and it also appeared that his personality shifted to match the new strategy. And while it seemed inefficient, it was certainly keeping everyone on their toes.

"Now, on to part two. I summon Mephistophelean Surgeon to the field in attack mode!"

Suikotsu's next monster, as could be expected, was of an occult and rather grotesque persuasion. Standing like a hunchback over his tools, the demonic practioner of medicine was green-fleshed and multi-armed, and upon each such arm was a triad of razor sharp claws dripping with the blood of his intentional malpractices. (1550/750)

"Now, as you can likely guess from my monster's name, it has something of a medical following, namely, the ability to deal 700 life points of damage whenever it destroys a monster. And thanks to my Equip card, Sacrilege Chainsaw, destroying a monster won't be much of a problem thanks to its 1000 point attack boost and an increase of 500 points when attacking a monster whose level is higher."

With that said, the devilish surgeon was endowed with the most horrific weapon any doctor could control: a massive chainsaw, formed of black steel and equipped with a jagged, flesh-rending chain. (2550/750)

"And now, Armor duelist, it's time for me to end your pathetic involvement in this duel! Mephistophelean Surgeon, destroy his Psychic Armor Head!"

With his commands deepset into his tremendously warped mind, the not so good doctor began to hobble towards Varon, his chainsaw roaring into life as he positioned it in a way that could very easily botch a surgery. Everyone knew that if the blow connected, Varon's role in the duel would end on the spot.

Joey, knowing this and also knowing what would happen should that occur, simply leaned back and smirked.

_Shouldnt've done that._

"Sorry, Suikotsu! I activate the Trap card, Armor Reversal Fist! All I have to do is discard an Armor monster from my hand, and I can automatically destroy any monster attacking another Armor on my side of the field!"

Bui, of course, had known this was coming, with the exception of what specific card Varon had planned on using. One of the key weaknesses of an Armor deck was the fact that it very rarely had a lot of overall offensive power, so the real skill of anyone using it was the skill of protecting those weaker monsters. And Varon had clearly mastered that aspect of it.

_You are indeed stronger than I expected, Armor duelist, and Joey Wheeler is also a formidable opponent. Perhaps it is time I myself drew out my real power…the true might of my Armor deck…_

And luckily for Bui, he had drawn out that power.

Varon did not notice any of this contemplation, only caring about the sudden opportunity to put the "good doctor" in his rightful place, and with that purpose he swung his empowered fist directly into the attacking surgeon's face, smashing it to pieces and decapitating the monster on impact.

"Damn it! How long do you intend to stall, Varon!"

"Long as it takes to kick your ass."

Suikotsu's ire, which had been steadily building over the past few days, was nearing the breaking point as he watched the Armor duelist slowly dismantle his scheme. Everything he had heard about these two from Sesshomaru was completely inaccurate, and it was quickly becoming obvious that he had been duped.

_I see. The son of a bitch wants to get Wheeler out of the way, so he's having us guage his skills to figure out a way to beat him. Clever, Sesshomaru, but I'm afraid that now that I know what I'm up against…you won't have a chance to find out._

"Alright then. At any rate, I'll move into my Main Phase 2, and activate Past Reprieve Medication, which shall grant Bui and I life points equal to the level of a monster destroyed in one battle phase during this turn times 100, along with 1000 extra life points, and luckily for me those life points are added when the next turn starts, meaning they too avoid the backlash of Damage Ointment. And with a card face down, I end my turn."

This statement also had another effect, as Joey watched Suikotsu's life points rise slightly. (Joey: 3900/Varon: 4000 (Bui: 500/ Suikotsu: 5600))

"Ok then, it's time for me to take over this circus! Draw!" This too had a dual effect, for the other card Suikotsu had played kicked in at the moment of Joey's draw. (Joey: 3900/Varon: 4000 (Bui: 1900/ Suikotsu: 7000))

_Jesus, this guy's life points just won't stay down. And I've got a bad feelin' about the knight in gruesome armor over there…_

Still, in spite of a worsening situation and with no monsters in play, Joey had to admit his hand was looking pretty good.

"Ok, first off, I summon Marauding Captain to da field in attack mode, and I'll use his ability to summon Gearfried the Iron Knight from my hand!"

With those words, Joey called forward his monsters, namely the battle-worn commander armed with twin swords and the black iron-clad soldier who had locked himself away from swords. (1200/1400) (1800/1600)

"I'm not even close to done. Next, I'll play the Magic card, Reinforcements of the Army, which lets me add a level four or lower Warrior monster from my deck to my hand. Finally, I'll play the card I just drew this turn. Care to guess what it is?"

Suikotsu gritted his teeth in anticipation, waiting to see what Joey had in mind. Bui was also in a similar state; however, he had a very real…and very frightening…idea of what he was dealing with.

"Well, you took too long, but thanks for playing. Now, let's show 'em what's behind card number one: Release Restraint!"

At this, Bui stepped back a ways, but did not seem terribly shocked; he had been able to detect just what Joey had planned. Suikotsu's venom-filled look indicated he had had no such preparation, as did the muffled exclamation of "oh fuck" he uttered soon thereafter.

Joey was obviously elated at these expressions, and knew that he was ready to kick some mercenary ass with his new attacker.

At about this time, the Marauding Captain stepped aside, being very familiar with who really lived inside the shell of Gearfried the Iron Knight. In fact, many years ago they had both battled in the great war which had torn their nation asunder, and he had seen how all of existence had shuddered at the calling of Gearfried's true wrath. He had seen firsthand the fury of his great blade, how whole armies had been ripped into bloody tatters with one swing of the sword.

"Ok, people, say goodbye to Gearfried the Iron Knight, and hello to Gearfried the Swordmaster!"

Gearfried's armor had, at this point, started to crack along the seams, his unchanging iron face splintering as every single safety lock that bound his power was broken. All that held his boundless energy in check fell to pieces, and soon the armor itself dissipated from the raw power.

_Keep your eye on the birdy, Suikotsu. This one's gonna be a photo finish._

The resulting flash was incredible, blinding everyone participating in the duel and causing spots to appear in the eyes of the few desperate to live out there. But when said flash subsided, the end result was anything but artistic. In fact, it was downright savage.

The true form of Gearfried, aptly named Gearfried the Swordmaster, was essentially a hulking mass of muscle that seemed also to have a sort of finess to it. Standing at least a foot taller than Bui, which was no mean biological feat, Gearfried's flowing black hair and tribal-medieval fusion loincloth indicated he was indeed a being of a rare and noble, if bloodthirsty, lineage. (2600/2300)

"'Course, strong as my Swordmaster is, he still needs a little extra juice, and I think a little number called Polymerization can help with that. Fuse Gearfried and Gilford together to summon Ares- Father of the Sword!"

Varon, having been watching Joey intently since the duel began, gave a small whistle of surprise and admiration. He'd heard of the monster Joey had just played, and it was a very rare and powerful one.

_Heh. Wheeler might just stand a chance in this duel…_

As Joey's words were uttered, the two legendary soldiers were absorbed into the magic of Polymerization, and as they were fused together a faint sound of baritone trumpet could be heard around them, like the call to war of an ancient civilization it was.

After only a moment, the source of those sounds could be determined, for from the fusion portal roared an entire army of medieval soldiers, armed to the teeth with daggers, spears, swords, and crossbows. And leading them was a giant of a man, towering at a horrific twelve feet in height and clad in golden armor styled in a fashion similar to that of the Greeks, armor which stretched over his rippling form. In each hand he held a sword: his left held the weapon of Gilford and his right held the giant claymore that Gearfried had once used. His face was disguised beneath a Spartan helmet fashioned of bone, but pitch black, curled hair was evident beneath it, and blood dribbled from his mouth as much as his swords. (3200/2000)

"Okay, let's start with the basics. First off, when he's summoned, I can special summon any Warrior from my hand to the field, so I'll start by summoning the Goblin Attack Force I added to my hand this turn with Reinforcements of the Army." As Joey said this, a new monster, or rather, a collection of brass-armored orcs equipped with melee weapons, appeared on the field. (2300/0) "Next, if I summon such a monster, I'm allowed to special summon Soldier Tokens to the field until all field zones, two in this case, are filled!" At this, two of the warriors Ares had called to the field were summoned, while the rest set up camp behind him. (1000/1000) x2

"Now, you're probably wonderin' what these little guys do, so I'll explain it. See, once per turn, I can flip a coin, and if it comes up heads I can sacrifice a Token and special summon any Warrior monster from my deck to the field as long as his total attack is less than that of the total of the strongest and the weakest in play, besides Ares, of course. If tails, I lose a monster from my deck and the Token goes bye-bye. So let's see what's gonna happen!"

With a hand well practiced in coin flips, Joey pulled out a 100-yen piece from his pocket and chucked it into the air, watching with intent eyes as it spun about. If he pulled this off, his field would be pretty much unstoppable.

The coin slowed its spin as it fell back to earth, and it became the focal point of everyone involved in the duel. If he got it right…

It took only a moment to see the end result…a result Joey had hoped would come up.

"OH YEAH! It's heads, baby, and I'm usin' it to summon Freed the Matchless General from my deck!"

The effect initiated itself like the flow water, seamlessly replacing the Soldier Token with the hardened general of the unnamed Warrior monster army. (2300/1700)

"Alright, now it's time to do some damage! Course, Ares can't attack because he was fused, but that doesn't mean the others can't do their part! Goblin Attack Force, attack Bui's life points directly!"

Screaming at the top of their lungs, the miniature army of goblins began drunkenly charging the now defenseless Armor duelist, who simply stood his ground as if nothing was wrong. All he did was carefully remove a card from his hand and slide it into the graveyard…and it was then that Joey realized the gross error of what he had done.

"I activate the discard effect of one of the monsters in my hand, namely the effect of the Barrier Skin Armor; when discarded during the turn of a direct attack, I am allowed to reduce any damage from such attacks for the turn to 0, an effect which counts for the entire field."

Joey, in spite of frustration towards the failed attempt on Bui's life points, had to admit it was an impressive move as he watched a thin layer of psychokinetic energy wrap around his enemy's entire body and intercept every blow made by the goblins. Still, they would have to find a way to break through both Suikotsu's rapidly increasing life points and Bui's crafty evasions of destruction.

"Gyahh…fine, I'll end my turn."

"Good; now, Joey and Varon, it is high time I show you the real power that this deck of mine is capable of. I draw!"

The mighty Armor soldier, with one sweep of his massive forearm, saw victory staring him in the eyes. This was the card he had been waiting for, the card which would cement his victory.

"Alright, let's start with the activation of the Field Magic card known as Dark Gravity, a card which allows me to use all of my field zones to summon Armor monsters." Bui's words preceded a sudden drop in temperature as each duelist and monster felt their density almost triple.

"Next, I shall activate one of my deadliest cards: Backup Gravitation, which can only be activated if I have no monsters on my side of the field. It allows me to special summon Armor monsters from my deck equal to or less than the number of monsters my opponents have, so in this case, I will summon nine new Armor monsters from my deck: Mass Mech Knuckles, Super Nova Shield, Shadow Boots, Blast Shell, Meteor Knuckle, Rocket Booster Zero, Virtue Plate, Tactical Armor Helm, and Hyper Body! "

Joey, hearing this horrific number, almost vomited onto his hand. Not even Varon had ever been able to bring out that many monsters before.

Varon was aware of Joey's surprise, but was more aware of the shaking in his knees. This was the true power of Bui's deck; he should have known from the start based on the sort of Armor he was using.

_No…he's going to use it…I don't believe it…_

None of these emotions slipped by Suikotsu's keen eye. He could practically smell the fear emanating from his opponents; he could feel their heartbeats pick up a violent tempo. This was why he dueled, this incredible sense of awareness and knowledge. For Suikotsu, dueling was all about the inspiration and sensation of terror; the look of utter defeat and realization of it was all the victory he ever needed.

In that regard, Bui's latest tactic was the ultimate victory.

_Hm. You're better than I expected for a brutish lummox…_

And as for Bui, he felt a strange, almost alien sensation run along his skin. Not since the first summoning of his Battle Aura had he felt like this; for him, this was the true meaning of the duel, the thrill of power, of strength, of the warrior's spirit. He knew that at the core, Duel Monsters was a game of combat, and as such he felt a certain attachment to it.

_Joey understands that, I imagine. He knows what the duel is about…and he knows what will happen to him because of it._

Bui was ready. He had been ready since he first studied this power and learned to use it properly. No one he was aware of had survived in a duel where he used this power; it was the reason Hiei had found him, this unspeakable force he wielded. This was the full might of the Armor deck; it was what made people create the decks, and likely what had inspired Varon to construct his own deck.

It was time to unlock that power. It was time…to release the Machina Juggernaut.

Yami vs. Renkotsu

Meteor of Destruction. It was certainly a card Yami could have lived without ever seeing again, and he almost wondered whether Renkotsu had played the card with previous knowledge of his history with it; it certainly wouldn't surprise him if that was the case. Add to that Renkotsu's dangerously skilled handling of life point damage cards thus far, and it made for a very dangerous mixture.

"Heh. I can see from the look on your face that you've figured out exactly what I plan to do, Pharaoh. You see, in addition to inflicting 1000 points of damage to your life points, Meteor of Destruction forces one of your monsters to attack, an effect which normally would be more beneficial to you. However, since the only monster I have in play is Mine Golem, you will have to attack him instead. This means that combined with Meteor of Destruction you will lose 1500 life points, and that's enough to end this duel."

A sudden flare of raw power surged up behind and above Renkotsu's head, manifesting itself as a portal to some other plane of existence that Yami was all too familiar with. He knew exactly what was going to happen; he had seen it before.

So it was no surprise to either of them when a tremendous sphere of flames burst from the vortex at unimaginable speeds that was capable of inflicting massive damage to whoever it struck. It was both horrific and beautiful at once, like a gladiator fight, and Yami knew that if he was hit by the attack, the duel would be over then and there.

"Hm. It was certainly an interesting challenge, but I'm afraid that you simply couldn't stand up to me after all."

Yami, staring directly at the oncoming meteor, did not hear Renkotsu's taunt. At that point, he wasn't really listening to him at all. However, he did intend to let the pyromaniac know that he was watching the match.

"Sorry, Renkotsu, but I can't let you win this duel. The fates of too many people are riding on this tournament, and I won't let your deluded master hurt any of them! I activate my face down card, Barrel Behind the Door!"

"What! There's no way you could have that card! In all the duels I studied, never once did you use it!"

"Hm. It seems you were misinformed, and now you're about to pay the price!"

As Yami said this, a small hatchway opened up in the magic and trap zone directly in front of him, revealing an ancient device which quite strongly resembled a long-range artillery piece. However, as was the manner of the trap card itself, the device was not meant to fire its own ammunition; it was designed to launch back similar offenses.

It was for this reason that the cannon adjusted itself so that it would be directly in the path of the Meteor of Destruction when it struck. And when it did, things were going to get really ugly, really fast…for Renkotsu, at least.

_Damn it…of all the traps the Pharaoh could have used, it had to be that one…_

The reaction was almost instantaneous. Within mere seconds the meteor had slammed into the cannon, but instead of destroying the weapon it was absorbed and loaded into the muzzle. Once this had been accomplished, the Barrel Behind the Door swiveled downwards and shifted its position so that it was pointing directly at Renkotsu.

"Cannon launch!"

The trap only needed that one command for it to fire its newfound ammo back to whence it came, and almost as soon as it was launched it connected with the target, sending Renkotsu hurtling through the air and into a wall. (Yami: 1500/ Renkotsu: 2500)

"And in case you forgot, Renkotsu, the other effect of Meteor of Destruction still activates, since Barrel Behind the Door only negates damage. Now, Crystal Baron Sage, destroy Renkotsu's Mine Golem!"

The flow of Yami's strategy was almost perfect as the aforementioned necromancer lifted his mace and poured his own brand of black magic into the crushing head of its main tool of destruction, whereupon he hurled the mace with all his might directly at the walking land mine.

The result was nothing short of catastrophic. The split second the attack struck, something triggered in the programming of the Mine Golem and enough nitroglycerin was set off to tear apart a city block quite easily were it not a hologram. As it stood, the only result was a blinding inferno which engulfed the field and seared both duelists.

And when it was over, the two were still standing, if considerably weaker for the wear. (Yami: 1000/ Renkotsu: 350)

"Hm. It appears your plan has backfired, Renkotsu, rather severely, I might add."

"HA! You may have negated my Meteor of Destruction, but I still have my own artillery to fall back on! I activate the Magic card, Wave Motion Cannon!"

Yami could not really say he was surprised by the move; if Renkotsu was the master of "burn" techniques, then it was inevitable he would have played Wave Motion Cannon at some point or other.

"Heh. This duel is just about over, Pharaoh. As soon as I reach my next main phase, I'll fire the cannon, causing you to lose 1000 life points and the duel. I knew you wouldn't be able to defeat me, even if you could counter my strategy as effectively as you did, but just to be safe I'll activate another Magic card, Wave Motion Shot! In exchange for not drawing on my next turn while Wave Motion Cannon is in play, I can destroy cards on your side of the field equal to the number of cards I played this turn, meaning your entire field is reduced to ashes!"

With a wave of his hand, Renkotsu set the Wave Motion Cannon to work, grinning slightly as it hurled massive shells of electrically charged fire onto his enemy's field, levelling it and everything he had left to fight with. Soon enough Yami was left defenseless, staring down defeat in his opponent's next turn.

"Now, to seal my victory. Because three of your cards were destroyed at once with this effect, I can summon three Wave Motion Token monsters to the field in defense mode to protect me in case you summon a monster. Also, these tokens will prevent you from destroying Wave Motion Cannon unless you destroy them first."

And in a deliberate spitting in Yami's eye, the Wave Motion Cannon performed one more deed: the generation of three hyperactive spheres of electrical energy that appeared not to have developed the concept of rest or any form of sitting still. (0/0) x3

"Hm. There's nothing you can do. You have no monsters to attack me, and I'm about to take this duel with a card you can't destroy. It's over, so I'll end my turn."

_You made it seem like this was going to be some kind of blowout, Hiei. The Pharaoh is skilled, yes, but not quite as much as you made me think. In any event, it will be over soon, and then the real fun will begin._

By now Renkotsu imagined that Jakotsu had been bested already; in all seriousness he was the least skilled duelist of the Band of Seven that actually knew how to play the game. This, of course, meant that his escape route had been enacted, and it also meant that the pyro duelist could now do things _his _way.

"Ready to lose, Pharaoh?"

"Not today, Renkotsu. You've played well, but I cannot let you win this duel."

"As if you have a choice! You're backed into a corner with certain death staring you right in the eye, and you say that you will not lose? HA! Don't try and sell me the Heart of the Cards, Pharaoh; I've never bought into it at all."

"It doesn't matter if you buy into it or not; it will still be the instrument of your undoing. My move!"

A draw. A single flick of the palm, with everything riding on the result. This was the truth of the duel, the simple, ever-present reality of it. To pin all the hopes, dreams, and stakes upon something as random as a card draw took great strength of will and incredible conviction, and it was this conviction that was the essence, the soul of the true duelist. Those that could tap it and control it were almost invincible, and to be able to do this was the mark of a champion. How they did it was unknown, and many thought it was sheer stubbornness, but

Up until that day, Yami's conviction had come from those around him, his friends and comrades, and the desire to protect them. But now, the pure source of his drive was much simpler.

It was in the form of an attractive miko with whom he knew he would spend the rest of his days with. And it was with her strength, her love, that he drew the deciding card.

"Well, are you ready to accept defeat, Pharaoh? After all, as it stands the odds of you emerging victorious are slim to none."

Yami needed only look at the card to see what had to be done, and knowing this he grinned slightly.

"Hm. Well, it appears I have beaten those odds."

His cool words and confident demeanor struck a chord in Renkotsu that sent a cold feeling of terror into his veins. How could he be so certain of his victory with the situation he was in?

_Something's not right here; it's almost as if he was able to draw any card he wanted from his deck…_

"This duel is over, Renkotsu, and I have just drawn the one card that will end it. You see, I realized that in order for me to beat you, I would have to match you wit for wit. In other words, to defeat you, I had to think-and duel- like you."

It only took Renkotsu an instant to put two and two together, and when he realized what card Yami was talking about his eyes widened in horror.

"No…not that card…"

"Yes, Renkotsu, I have indeed drawn the card known as…Rapid Fire Magician!"

The final summon of the duel, usually resulting in the calling of an incredibly powerful monster or an unholy effect juggernaut, was instead used to summon forth a relatively weak monster, for what stood before the two duelists was a svelte spellcaster with light lavendar hair dressed in clothing similar to that of the Chaos Sorceror. However, unlike the previous mages, this particular monster was armed with twin staves, and surrounding him were ten flaming orbs of channeling stone. (1600/1200)

"Now, as I said to you before, in order to beat you, I must duel like you, and Rapid Fire Magician will allow me to do just that. You see, whenever I activate a Normal Magic card, I can deal you 400 points of damage…meaning that once I play one final card, this duel is over."

Renkotsu could not believe it. The Pharaoh had pulled it off; in the face of unbelievable odds, he had drawn the one card he needed to end the game. It simply made no logical sense!

_How could he have done it? He undid me…with one little card!_

"And now…the end. I activate the Magic card, Brave Attack, which shall total the attack strength of all my current monsters in play and allow me to use that attack strength in one battle. However, that is not at all why I played it, as you're about to see. Rapid Fire Magician, use your effect to end this duel!"

It was almost over, and all that had to be done was to deliver the final blow, as Yami's magician was about to do. With one great summoning of power, the slim magician sent a barrage of orbs from around him directly towards Renkotsu, each smashing into his gut and leaving a slight singe in the process. The rate of fire increased as the orbs circled about, each dealing an increasing amount of damage and increasing the assault rate until it became like a machine gun firing, hence the monster's name.

And after only a few minutes, the barrage was done…as was the strongest duelist of the Band of Seven. (Yami: 1000/ Renkotsu: 0)

_Damn it…how did he do it? How could he have pulled it off? Against astronomical odds he was able to draw the one card he needed to win; it doesn't make any sense!_

"It's over, Renkotsu. It was a close match, but I was able to defeat you and your plans."

Listening to the Pharaoh gloat, watching as his Duel Gauntlet returned to standby mode, and slowly realizing his deck, his ultimate burn deck, had been defeated, Renkotsu felt the embers of his own wrath begin to flare up. He would not accept defeat, not now, not ever again.

"Heh. You really think you've won, Pharaoh?"

Renkotsu, with the mark of death in his eyes, slowly and carefully stood up from his quasi-fetal position he had been forced into, locking eyes with his new nemesis. He may have lost the duel, but he would not accept defeat. It would end here, even if he couldn't get the Puzzle through proper means.

"Don't think for even a second that I'll let you walk away from this alive. You see, while the others you faced may have allowed you to live after they lost their duel, I will not be so merciful. When you get right down to it, this entire tournament is all about survival…and if I kill you, that's one more day Jagenshi lets me live."

Renkotsu's eyes flared now in hate as he extracted something from his body armor, and soon enough Yami was facing the business end of a flintlock pistol.

"Now, Yami no Yuugi, it's time I send you on the road to hell, courtesy of the Band of Seven!"

Yami knew he had to react fast; his Mind Crush technique required a certain amount of time to initiate, time he did not have thanks to the range of Renkotsu's weapon. And since he had no immediate access to any sort of weaponry he could use, the solution was obvious.

Without a moment's hesitation, Yami reached up and grabbed the barrel of the pistol, forcing it away from him just as Renkotsu pulled the trigger. Luckily, the shot did not hit the door or anything else which could result in the harm of anyone innocent, embedding itself in the wall quite snugly.

"You just don't take a hint, do you!"

His first attack plan having failed quite miserably, Renkotsu jumped backwards and stood in a combative position, ready to set the entire room on fire if he needed to.

"I don't know how egotistical you are, Pharaoh, but it won't matter. I'll send you to your grave if I have to cremate everyone in this whole damn building!"

Yami, seeing that Renkotsu was quite serious in this threat, drew out part of his power in a standby effect. If the pyromaniac tried anything, he would be ready for it.

However, luck was on Yami's side that day, for just as soon as the two warriors were ready to do battle, the fire user pressed his left hand to his ear, as if receiving a signal from some unknown source.

Renkotsu, of course, knew what this was about. He had been afraid that this would happen.

_Damn it, of all the times he could have called, it had to be now…_

"Hm. Well, it seems that we'll have to finish this some other time, Pharaoh. As it stands, there's something else that needs to be done."

_What!_

"This is far from over, Yami no Yuugi. And believe me, we will be meeting again."

With those chilling words, Renkotsu turned around and bolted for the window, in a mad dash to escape the room. Yami was soon to follow, palm ready to enact the magic he had summoned. However, before any attacks could be made, the fire mercenary had crashed out the window, leaving nothing behind of his presence save broken glass and a glistening key where he had stood for the duel.

Yami could not believe it. Had Renkotsu really been so desperate for an escape that he had thrown himself out of the window of a ninth floor hotel room? No, he wouldn't be that stupid.

There was only one explanation, therefore. Somehow Renkotsu must have had some kind of escape route in order. However, from what Yami could see outside the window there were no such vehicles that could have been used for that effect, which meant only one thing.

Somehow Renkotsu had been able to use some sort of magic that would allow an easy teleportation from his location, and as far as Yami could tell only Hiei had that kind of power.

_So, whatever happened in this duel wouldn't matter, since Renkotsu, and most likely Jakotsu as well, would have an escape route. It was all set up for us, a brilliant contingency plan to reuse two of his strongest warriors._

One thing was certain, though: Renkotsu would definitely be back for vengeance or assignment, whichever he so chose…

"Uh…Yami…is it over?"

The Pharaoh almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the squeaky voice of Shippo pop out from under the couch; he had been so wired from the duel he had not seen the kitsune hide himself.

"Yes, Shippo. You can come out now if you want."

It did not surprise Yami too much that the little fox did not immediately remove himself from his hiding place. From what he had heard, Shippo had encountered the Band of Seven before, and it was doubtful that he would want to face them again.

Yami himself had to admit that the Band of Seven was going to be a fearsome opponent. He had just barely been able to defeat one of them in a duel, and if he was correct about their capacities in hand-to-hand combat then he was in quite a bit of trouble.

But until then, he would deal with whatever Hiei, Naraku, and Dartz sent after him. He had done it before, and he would do it a hundred times again if he had to.

_I don't care how long it takes. I'll defeat whoever they send after me to defend the people I love…_

This was more true now than it ever was before, because in those days he had been fighting for friends and family, but now…he was fighting for the woman who had made his dreams reality.

_Kagome…my strength…_

He was ready. He had been ready since the day he was born, and now it was time to prove it. Yami knew his skills were up to snuff, and with the cards that had served him so well in the past he would win this fight too.

"Yami?"

The Pharaoh had been so focused in his thoughts that he had not heard the shattered door open behind him, and it was only upon hearing the seraphic voice flow from the threshold that he turned to see his lady love. She had never looked more beautiful, especially since the wide smile on her face was one of victory, instead of a mask as she had done before.

It was that one smile, that single expression which was, in a very real sense, Yami's everything.

"Kagome?"

"I heard everything from behind the door! Oh, Yami, I can't believe you did it! You beat Renkotsu! Oh, I'm so happy I could burst!"

Her eyes lit up like the fires of the most beautiful star, her face was gleaming in jubilation, and in that moment, in Yami's eyes, Kagome transcended womanhood and became, quite simply, an art form, more so than even Kikyo had been…and that was saying something.

But as Kagome began running towards him, arms outstretched to embrace him again, the Pharaoh felt a sudden, horrific sensation of dread as he sensed a tremendous demonic aura speeding towards him. It was truly horrific; the aura was moving at unimaginable speeds that even Hiei could not match, and it was closing directly on him.

_No…no, it's not headed for me. It's headed for…NO!_

"Kagome, stop!"

But it was too late. From directly in front of Yami, more specifically his shadow, a lightning swift humanoid-looking being shot forward and made a direct beeline for Kagome. She did not scream, cry, or even stop running. The movement was so quick that her expression had no time to change, and within an instant, the mysterious soldier had scooped Kagome into his arms.

"KAGOME!"

Yami was all but devastated as he looked upon his beloved, gripped in the vice-like clasp of a shadowy being that had no name or face; every detail about him was artfully concealed in darkness. All he could tell for sure was that he was emitting a tremendous demonic aura, one that was at least an A-Class if he remembered demon classification correctly.

But after a moment, the demon did speak in a throaty, almost strained voice, which was more than can be said for the stunned miko.

"Hm. It's about damn time you let your guard down, Pharaoh. I couldn't even get within an inch of you and the priestess while you were all lovey-dovey…"

"Who are you, and what do you want with Kagome!"

The monster said nothing for a moment, using a deep chuckle as his response.

"Honestly, I don't care about her. If it were up to me I would have filleted her esophagus already, but apparently my superiors need her alive. And before you start asking, I was sent by Hiei, and he gives you this message: you can have your little toy back if you want, but you'll have to find her first. Believe me, I'm not going to make it easy for you."

Yami could not believe how blind he had been. The duels of Renkotsu and Jakotsu, the seperation, it had all been set up so that Hiei would win either way…

"Don't act so surprised, Pharaoh. Jagenshi has you cornered in any event; he controls all the doors, he holds all the keys, and he will stop at nothing to get your little trinket…including the death of this piece of eye candy here."

"Put her down, now! You have no idea what you're doing!"

"I beg to differ, Pharaoh Atem. My superior has every single facet of his plan figured out, and he knows exactly what to do next. But until then, I really do have to get back to the main base, and Kagome's coming with me, whether you like it ot not."

By now Yami had been able to summon his power to a full usage point, and he was mere seconds from enacting it when he realized that Kagome, who had fallen into a faint from terror, would also receive the brunt of the Mind Crush. There was nothing he could do.

"Hm. I knew you were too weak to do anything."

And with those biting words, the nameless being slipped away into the darkness that spawned him, escaping Yami's eyes and his wrath...and taking Kagome with him.

He could not believe it. She had slipped through his fingers again…and it was all his fault.

_Kagome…_

The blood began rushing through his head as the shock overtook him. He was seeing it all: Hiei, Naraku, Dartz, the nameless shadowshifter, but most of all the woman he had loved and lost…

It was all too much, too soon. Everything was falling to pieces and he could do nothing about it. Why couldn't he stop them? Why were his enemies able to do this? Why? _WHY? _

And with those last thoughts fresh in his mind, the once proud king felt his knees give out beneath him, sending him back into the darkness he knew so well.

Hiei's Fortress

"Hn. So, both Renkotsu and Jakotsu have returned, have they?"

"Yes sir, and so has Akuren. For the most part, they report that the plan was a success, aside from the dual losses, of course."

"It is of no surprise to me. Those idiots could not duel on the level of the Pharaoh or his whore, but it does not matter. At any rate, is Kagome in our custody?"

"Yes, Akuren is imprisoning her as we speak. Do you want a more…ahem…_personal _encounter with the maiden, sir?"

Listening to the soft-spoken attendant on the other side of the phone, Hiei could not help but consider the option presented him. He _had_ succeeded in capturing the priestess, and he needed something to occupy his time since Serenity had gotten boring. And Kagome certainly was a voluptuous young lady…

But no. Even if he were certain he could survive sex with a miko, he had many other details in his plan which needed attention, so the more carnal appetites would have to wait.

"I'll pass. We still need to prepare the final units if we can enact the coup by deadline, and we've yet to brief Schwarzvald and Kagura on their roles yet. Also, the other three members of the Band of Seven involved in duels are still unaccounted for."

"Very well, sir. I'll leave you to your business, then."

Hiei did not even bother to hear what the man had to say as he hung up; as a whole he found his ordinary subordinates to be idiotic, and a hassle he would rather not have. Still, they were vital to the success of his latest endeavor, if only on a small scale.

In any event, he had more important matters to deal with, and to say the least he was on pins and needles, though he would never admit it to anyone save Kurama. This, of course, was not an option, so he kept his mouth shut, and instead focused on what he had to do.

_Vera, you insolent little worm, you have no idea of what I intend to do. While you and your idiots pore over the "plans" I gave you, I shall be formulating your end, and the end of all my enemies. I have the equipment and the manpower, thanks to your stupidity, and my Inner Circle has more than enough power to bury you and the remains of your washed-up military._

And Vera wouldn't be the only one. Thanks to Kagura, he had been able to locate Naraku in the city, and with luck he would exterminate that problem. As for Dartz, it would only be a matter of time before one of the DOOM Soldiers screwed up and lead him to the base.

But the most important factor - the focus of the entire war - was that of the Pharaoh and his comrades, and he had special plans for them…oh, the plans he had for them all…

"Heh. So much to do, so little time…and you're not being very helpful, are you?"

Hiei's words were spoken to someone that could not been seen, heard, or even smelled, which made dealing with him excruciatingly difficult. The only real time he could be found was when he appeared before the dark leader of the Black Shadow, and that was on his terms alone. It was a major pain in the ass, as Genkai would say, but for the power he received because of it was well worth the aggravation.

It only took a few moments for the being to respond, although not in a way that could be detected by any of the senses five. It was more a feeling, a tremendously bone-chilling feeling that made most who dealt with it too nauseous to continue on, but since Hiei was well-versed in the Shadow Realm and the Demon Realm he knew how to deal with it.

'I have done what you bade, Jagenshi…and in the process lost one of my strongest warriors…a loss for which I shall be retributed…'

Hiei had to admit that the wheezing and drawn-out "speech" the dark being spoke to him in had gotten quite tiresome, and to him seemed more for theatrics than anything. Still, it certainly was more favorable than the other voice which spoke to him in his mind.

"You shall be, and sooner than you think. In fact, I've provided you with the proper materials for that retribution, or Akuren has, at least."

'Ah yes…the reincarnation of Kikyo, the one named Kagome…yes, she will serve me well, better than Tea Gardener would in any case…'

"So then you are ready?"

Although he could not literally hear it, the creature of shadow chortled in glee, a phlegmy and overly disgusting laugh which for some reason reminded Hiei of what he had first perceived Mukuro to be. Of course, unlike Mukuro, he would gladly eviscerate the demon were he not invaluable to his plan.

'Yes…my Shadow Game is almost complete…and when the Pharaoh comes to me I shall spring the trap…with little Kagome as the bait…'

"See to it that you do. And remember, you have only one shot, so don't fuck it up."

'There is no chance of that, Jagenshi…I have waited far too long for this moment…to fail in my planning now…'

"Good. Now, I am afraid I have several other matters to attend to, namely involving the battle which shall reshape this city, so it would be wise for you to begin preparations."

'Yes, yes…the time has come…'

And after a few moments, the being had vanished from Hiei's mind, which was not at all an unpleasant turn of events for the demon. He hated dealing with that revenge-driven monstrosity, but since his hatred for Yami was almost as great as his own, he would tolerate him…for the moment.

_It won't matter. My plan is already set into place, and there is nothing any of you can do to stop me. Even as we speak, my soldiers are preparing to strike down my enemies, the Band of Seven is ready to exterminate all opposition, and my left and right hands shall stand by my side through it all._

Yes, it was all going so perfectly. With a minimum of setbacks, his plans had all gone as scheduled…and now it was time to put it all into use.

Knowing this, Hiei, deciding to take a small break before getting to work, sat down in his armchair and extracted a small charm from around his neck. It was an intricate device, a masterfully carved dragon hewn from the tear of an ice apparition. A true work of art for any real connoisseur, and were the decoration any less meaningful he would have pawned it in Demon World in a heartbeat.

But he didn't. This…was all the family he had left. This was the only link to the past; to Yukina, to Mukuro, to his service in Demon World. He had burned all his bridges and lost every family member he had, but at least this was still there, to remind him of what had been…and what was to be.

Hiei knew that this would be the dawn of a new era for him, and this charm would help him bring it to light. Yet there was one great obstacle, one he would overcome if it killed him.

_Pharaoh…this tournament is the end of you and your friends…forever._

End of Arc One

(Looks back.) Wow, almost three years, and it's only just begun. Hard to believe this took as long as it did.

Anyway, in the next arc of the FODHMC Saga, entitled "Rising Darkness, Burning Light" (title thanks to Time Mage), Enzeru, Kaiba, and Yusuke end their duels, as Roger ponders what he is dealing with in light of these new circumstances. Inuyasha seeks out Raphael for vengeance, Joey faces a new machine soldier, and Yami must struggle through the tournament without Kagome. But who is this new dark warrior Hiei has hired, and what are his dastardly plans for the city?

Find out in the next story of this series, "Rising Darkness, Burning Light"!

Ok, original card time.

Bui- Black Death X

Kagome- Time Mage

Jakotsu - Mine

Yami- Mine

Varon - Mine

Suikotsu - Mine

Joey - Mine

Renkotsu - Mine

Yusuke - Mine (and mebbe Time Mage, not sure)

Sensui - Time Mage

Well, that's it for Arc 1. I'd like to thank everyone for putting up with the late updates and long chapters, and here's to Arc 2...AKA, the War for New Paradigm. See ya then!

And now, I'm off to Remix!


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